Violet Syrup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 cups violets, freshly picked, unsprayed
2 cups boiling water
6 cups sugar
1 lemon, juice of
2 cups water

Preparation

Select only the freshest and most unblemished violets. Place violet petals 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 draft-free place at room temperature for 24 hours.
Line a colander with layers of rinsed cheesecloth(I use a clean terrycloth towel) 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. Yield: 2 quarts.