Our growing season in Chicago is short. spring doesn’t really start till April - May. And we don’t harvest anything till mid summer. But One of the first things to grow in my garden in the springtime are chives. It feels so great to see them break the icy grounds, it gives me hope of the warm days ahead. And within few weeks the chives blossom into these beautiful purplish flowers.
Chives are a perennial herb, which means that they will come back year after year without you having to do much and they grow bigger and fuller every year. Did you know chives are a great companion herb!!! (yes there is such a thing ) and I really like that. Think about it! It grows by helping other plants grow too ! Life lessons.
Chive blossoms have an onion-like flavor that is more delicate and mild than the chives green stems.
After a week or two of steeping the blossoms in vinegar It turns into this beautiful shade of pink and then you use it like you would any other vinegar except this one is stinking cute pink.
This chive blossom vinegar is so delicious in salad dressings, marinades, and splashed on roasted veggies
And as far as chives chop and stir them with eggs, make compound butter, add them to your salads. Their mild onion flavor makes them so good in so many applications. Stay tuned I am making a great salad with this chives vinegar later this week.
Chive Blossom Vinegar
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh chive blossoms (pick the bright purple ones, not the old ones as they are dry)
1-1.5 cups white vinegar or any vinegar you like I am using white wine vinegar for this recipe. Enough to fully submerge the blossoms
6 ounce glass jar with lid
Directions
wash the blossoms real well
Drain off the water and dry in between paper towels
Fill the jar 1/2 to 2/3 full of chive blossoms. With the back of a wooden spoon muddle the blossoms a bit so they release their flavor.
Pour the vinegar ** over the blossoms, and stir thoroughly.
Close the jar tightly and place in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks to steep.
By now it’s a beautiful color. Strain out the blossoms, pour into a clean bottle, and store the finished chive blossom vinegar in your pantry. It should last for few months!
You can use the vinegar immediately but the longer it sits the more intense the chives flavor gets.
This recipe is pretty simple so if you have a lot of chives blossoms definitely double the recipe these little jars make for cute little gifts too.
Recipe notes
**Feel free to use other types of vinegar. Just keep in mind that using stronger flavored and darker vinegars like apple cider will change both the color and flavor