Recipe - Violet Syrup

4 cup Violets; freshly picked
unsprayed
2 cup Boiling water
6 cup Sugar
1 Lemon; juice of
2 cup Water

Select only the freshest and most unblemished violets in your garden. Place
violet petal in a deep bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Weigh
down with a heavy dish to keep them submerged. Place the bowl in a
draftfree place at room temperature for 24 hours. Line a colander with
layers of rinsed cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Pour violets and liquid
into colander, squeezing out juice from the violets; discard the violets.
Place sugar, lemon juice and water in a saucepan and boil into a very thick
syrup, near the candy stage. Add violet water and bring to a rolling boil.
Boil 10 minutes or until thickened. Pour into sterile bottles. Allow to
cool, then seal and refrigerate. Serve with ice water or club soda.
VARIATION: Substitute 4 cups fragrant rose petals and add 1 cinnamon stick
per bottle of syrup. MAKES: 2 QUARTS

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini