Do you grow chives? If you have a bit of garden, chives are one of the easiest herbs to grow, and one of the first to come up in the spring. In my garden plot, I’ll see them first appear in early May, Just about the time I’m longing for something fresh and green, I can snip them to use on potatoes, omelettes, and salads, and wait for the flowers, to make chive blossom vinegar.
Those flowers are totally edible: scatter them on top of a salad or add to an omelet, where they’re pretty as well as flavorful. The chive blossom vinegar can bring a delicate onion-like flavor to salad dressings, potato salad, and marinades.
If you have chives growing in your garden, grab a jar, because this is incredibly easy to make. All it takes is a jar, some white vinegar, and about 2 weeks.
I like to make this my first preserve of the year every spring. You cannot possibly find an easier thing to preserve: pick the blossoms, stick ’em in a jar, pour vinegar over, and let them steep for a week or two. That’s it!
You will need a clean canning jar – the one shown here is a 3-cup ‘pint and a half’ jar. Pick blossoms, rinse them briefly, dry them – then pour vinegar over.
That’s it – ta-da!
Keep the vinegar away from light in a cool place. Plan to use it up before autumn, because the flavor may fade over time. By the way, a small jar of herb vinegar makes a splendid gift!
Chive Blossom Vinegar
Ingredients
- chive blossoms
- distilled white vinegar
- clean jar with lid
Instructions
- You’ll need a clean canning jar – the one shown here is a 3-cup ‘pint and a half’ jar. Pick a big handful of chives, and snip off just the flower heads. Soak those briefly in cold water, to eliminate any dust or critters, then remove from the water and gently dry.
- Put the dry blossoms into your jar; it should be about three-quarters filled. Pour white distilled vinegar into the jar, filling it completely, and put on a lid.
- Let it steep for a week or two in a cool dark place, then strain the flowers out, putting the now pink chive blossom vinegar into a fresh clean jar.
- Keep the vinegar away from light in a cool place. Plan to use it up before autumn.