A runner, N, at the recent Grafton 15k Trail Run came up to me after the race and mentioned that he's been looking for wild violets to use to make a simple syrup to give as gifts and wondered if I knew of a good spot. I'd never heard of wild violets before, or even noticed them. But as I walked around my neighborhood I started seeing them everywhere. And after getting a bunch of rain they have popped up in large quantities in some places.
I found a dense patch of them next to some tennis courts near my house and picked a bunch. I took them home and steeped them for 24 hours.
Adding the resulting infusion to seltzer gave it amazing color:
And of course I had to add it to homemade cider, which gave it a nice color and added an interesting twist to the flavor:
