This recipe for chive blossom vinegar will be your new favorite thing to make with these gorgeous purple flowers every spring. Use it in salad dressings, marinades or as a condiment. So many uses for this wonderful infusion.
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What are Chive Blossoms?
Chives are actually one of my favorite herbs, and one I always recommend folks grow in their gardens, on their balconies or patios. My 8 Herbs to Grow Yourself blog post outlines why, but they are a great versatile herb and come back year after year. Plant once and you'll have chives forever. As a perennial herb in most growing zones, it goes dormant over the winter months and wakes up in the spring.
My book, Seed to Table, includes an herb crop guide to help you grow the herb garden of your dreams.
Chive flowers are delicate and edible florets that grow on chive plants. These pretty blossoms are not only visually appealing but also flavorful and nutritious. They have a mild onion-like flavor that is milder than the chive itself. The blossoms are typically pink or purple and have a ball-like shape.
They usually appear in late spring and early summer and are harvested before full bloom. These purple chive blossoms are versatile in cooking and can be used in a variety of dishes such as salads, soups, and sauces to add a pop of color and flavor. Additionally, these beautiful chive blossoms are also believed to have some health benefits, including anti-inflammatory properties and the ability to promote digestion.
If you don’t grow chives at home, you might be able to find these beautiful chive flowers at your local farmers markets. This is one of my spring favorite recipes and I encourage you to try it.
Ingredients, Notes and Substitutions
This recipe comes together with very few ingredients. All you need are the following items to make your own chive blossom vinegar:
- Chive blossoms (preferably grown organically)
- Vinegar of your choice
My preference is to use a mild clear vinegar like champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar. You can also use distilled white vinegar but the final product may have an astringent taste. Though I haven’t tired it myself, rice vinegar might also be interesting. Do not use any dark kinds of vinegar as the whole point of making this infusion is to enjoy the beautiful pink finished product.
Consider substituting regular chive (A. schoenoprasum) blossoms with garlic chive (Allium tuberosum) blossoms. Garlic chive blossoms have a pungent garlic flavor and are white in color, in contrast to the pink hue of regular chive blossoms. Additionally, garlic chives typically bloom later in the season than regular chives.
How to Make this Chive Blossom Homemade Infused Vinegar
This is a very quick method with amazing results.
1) Harvest. Harvest your chive blossoms/flowers by snipping the stem right below the flower cluster, wash and dry on a paper towel.
2) Pack. Pack your washed chive blossoms (flowers) into a large mason jar or other non-reactive container (see expert tips) and pour in your vinegar of choice until you reach the top of the jar.
3) Infuse. Let your vinegar and chive blossoms steep in a dark, cool cupboard for 5-7 days away from direct light. You can go up to 2 weeks if you like a stronger flavor.
4) Strain and Bottle. Strain the steeped vinegar into clean jars or bottles and store at room temperature. Discard (or compost) the spent chive blossoms.
Serving Suggestions
The possibilities! Use chive blossom vinegar in homemade salad dressing, marinades or as a condiment on grilled vegetables, fish and meats. It can be used to make beurre blanc or hollandaise sauce. Flavor your next potato salad with it. Let me know in the comments if you have any other ideas!
Long Term Storage
As with any infused vinegar, the product will begin to degrade at some point, but it does have a long shelf life. I encourage you to use this infused vinegar within 2 months of making it. Store it in a dark cool place like your pantry or cupboard. The vinegar doesn’t need to be refrigerated.
Expert Tips
- When infusing, use a non-reactive container. Acid can react with plastic or metal, so it’s best to use a clean glass jar.
- Bottle the finished homemade vinegar infusion in clean bottles (woozy or hot sauce bottles work great)
- Note that chives will not flower the first year (season) you buy the plants. They will flower the second season after they have overwintered at least once.
- Avoid using dark-colored vinegar such as apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or balsamic.
- Quick Method: Looking to extract as much flavor as possible quickly? Use hot or warm vinegar and let the infusion steep overnight. The color and flavor may not be as vibrant.
- Chive Vinegar: Try infusing both the green stalks and the flowers for a more pungent vinegar.
FAQ
Absolutely. They are delicious and add a hint of mild onion flavor. They can be used to garnish salads, dips and seafood.
If you make this chive Blossom Vinegar recipe or any other preservation recipes on Urban Farm and Kitchen, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more Urban Farm and Kitchen, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, visit the Urban Farm Shop, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Recipe
Chive Blossom Vinegar Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Vinegar of choice - White, White Wine or Champagne vinegar preferred
- 2 cups Chive blossom
Instructions
- Harvest. Harvest your chive blossoms/flowers by snipping the stem right below the flower cluster, wash and dry on a paper towel.
- Pack. Pack your washed chive blossoms (flowers) into a large mason jar or other non-reactive container (see expert tips) and pour in your vinegar of choice until you reach the top of the jar.
- Infuse. Let your vinegar and chive blossoms steep in a dark, cool cupboard for 5-7 days away from direct light. You can go up to 2 weeks if you like a stronger flavor.
- Strain and Bottle. Strain the steeped vinegar into clean jars or bottles and store at room temperature. Discard (or compost) the spent chive blossoms.
Ewan
Nice and simple made two versions same distilled white vinegar. One jar with flowers and one with flowers and stalks. Let them sit for two weeks in the pantry and now they look beautiful, though i like the jar that had the flower and stalk.
Jamal G
I remember you posted about this last year and I made some then. We loved it in our salad dressings.
Luay
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.
BetteJane
Hi there! Do you recommend for/against canning this vinegar in a water bath? Cannot wait to try this with our chive flowers this year!
Luay
Hi there. I would not water bath can this. It should be shelf stable for a couple of months, but if you're worried you can leave it in your fridge just like you would a refrigerator pickle.