Did you know that Violets can be used to create a litmus test? This is a great activity to do with kids to get a mini-science activity into your day.
Are you starting a garden this year? If so, you can expand this activity to use the Violet infusions to test the acidity/alkalinity of your soil.
Fresh Violet flowers
Boiling water
Lemon juice
Baking soda
Soil you want to test
Fill 1 large jar with Violet blossoms. Cover with boiling water and let sit overnight. Strain off the Violets.
In 2 half pint size jars or smaller, fill halfway with Violet water.
In 1 jar, add lemon juice until water turns purple/red. This is your acid indicator.
In the second jar, add baking soda until it turns green/yellow. This is your base indicator.
Use the rest of the violet water to add your test soil (or any other items you choose to test) by pouring it into as many other jars as you need to complete the tests.
To test your soil, pour a few additional jars of Violet water and add a tablespoon of soil to each. You may wish to test various areas of your yard or even compare it to compost and/or potting soil.
Stir the soil into each jar, rinsing your spoon between jars. Let everything settle then compare the soil jars to the indicator jars.
Want to learn more about Violet? Our Violet ebook is available in our shop, you can find it here.