Follow along and make some infused Violet Oil with me!

This is one of my favorite winter oils. I start to crave it about this time of year when the temps here in the northeast drop to the teens and twenties.

It is delicate and luscious.

I harvest my violets from my property 2 years ago and they have a faint scent which is new to me. The smell is lovely and delicate, like sweet perfume.

How to make infused Violet Oil:

It couldn’t be easier.

First, put some dried flowers in a jar.

Then, cover them with olive oil (or some other oil that is liquid at room temperature).

Add the sealed jar on top of a cloth to a sauce pan of gently simmering water and immediately turned the burner off.

Let it sit until it was cold. You can let it sit longer (which is what I do) or strain and use immediately.

When I rub the oil on my hands and face, I cup my hands round my nose just to breathe in and enjoy the sweet, delicate scent of the violets.

Health Benefits of Violets:

Violets act on the nervous system. They are moistening and calming, and especially good at promoting lymph flow and reducing swellings.

When to Harvest Wild Violets (Viola orodata and other species)

If you’d like to make your own violet oil, start watching for violets in February and March if you live in the south. The are one of the first spring bloomers. They bloom in April and May here in the Northeast.

While these flowers spread from seed, you can harvest the flowers freely because they also grow from an underground rhizome so picking all the flowers will not prevent the plant from coming back year after year.

But don’t confuse these flowers with African violets which are from a different plant family and are toxic. Be sure you are harvesting Wild Violet (Viola orodata and other species).

If you want to learn more about what to look for and harvesting these flowers, this post from our sister site, Botany in an Hour, might interest you if you want to learn how to distinguish violets from other purple flowers that bloom early like Vinca minor (periwinkle) which is also toxic.

Forage with Your Kids: Teach them to recognize these edible plants!