Who else feels the magic when stumbling across a patch of newly blooming violets?
Viola Odorata is a really rare, expensive and precious extract in perfumery as you need so many violets to create even a drop of pure extract. Today, it is highly unusual to find perfume containing real violet. Its sweet, powdery scent is usually replaced with a synthetic version.
However you can still get essential oil of violet leaf which has the most amazing fresh green cut grass, cucumber and melon notes. A little goes a very long way!
Other uses for the flowers are flavouring sugar, making a sugar syrup or sugared flowers. You could also try a mini home enfleurage too.
The main problem is finding a patch you know a dog or animal won’t have weed on, as they tend to appear in grass or on low banks!