The violets come up early here, in that stretch of the year when the ground is still cold and everything else is holding back. Along the damp, half-shaded edge of my side garden outside Sequim, the little heart-shaped leaves show first, and then a scatter of deep blue-purple flowers close to the ground, each one nodding on its own thin stalk. I’ve watched them arrive in the same spot for close to thirty springs, and I still crouch down to gather a handful. Wild violet is one of the gentlest plants a beginner can start with \u2014 abundant, mild, and useful in both the kitchen and on the shelf.<\/p>\n
Wild violets belong to the genus Viola<\/em>, and there are several worth knowing on this coast: the early blue violet (Viola adunca<\/em>) native to our woods and meadows, the common blue violet (Viola sororia<\/em>) that turns up in lawns and disturbed edges, and the sweet violet (Viola odorata<\/em>) that escapes from old gardens. Their leaves and flowers have been gathered and used for generations, and unlike a lot of wild plants, the blue-and-white violets are forgiving ground for someone still building confidence.<\/p>\n