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Nutritional Guidelines (per serving) | |
---|---|
3 | Calories |
0g | Fat |
0g | Carbs |
0g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 24 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 3 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 0g | 0% |
Saturated Fat 0g | 0% |
Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
Sodium 1mg | 0% |
Total Carbohydrate 0g | 0% |
Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
Protein 0g | |
Calcium 3mg | 0% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
Chive blossoms have an onion-like flavor that is more delicate than the commonly used leaves. They make an herbal vinegar that is a lovely gift and also very useful in your kitchen. Use chive blossom vinegar in salad dressings, potato salad, and marinades.
There are two ways to make chive blossom vinegar: One is quick but has a less subtle flavor. The other takes patience but yields a higher quality product. Both are tasty. The longer method of making chive blossom vinegar, as well as other herbal vinegars, is well worth the longer infusing time.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chive blossoms (fresh)
- 1 1/2 cups vinegar (of choice)
- Optional: 1/4 cup chopped chive leaves
Steps to Make It
The Best Method
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Gather the ingredients.
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Crush the blossoms to release their scent and flavor.
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Loosely pack them into a clean glass pint jar (it is not necessary to sterilize the jar first).
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Pour the vinegar over the chive blossoms until they are completely immersed in the liquid. Stir the chives down into the vinegar with a spoon or chopstick.
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Tightly cover the jar and label it with the date. Store at room temperature away from direct light or heat for 2 weeks.
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Strain the vinegar into an attractive, clean glass bottle. Compost or discard the spent blossoms.
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Cork or tightly cover the bottle.
The Quicker Hot Vinegar Method
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Gather the ingredients.
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Place the chive blossoms and optional chive leaves in a clean, heat-proof glass jar (it is not necessary to sterilize the jar).
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Heat the vinegar until it comes just to a simmer (don't let it get to a full boil).
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Pour the hot vinegar over the chives.
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Cover tightly and label the jar with the date. Store at room temperature away from direct light or heat for 3 days.
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Strain the vinegar into an attractive, clean glass bottle. Compost or discard the spent blossoms.
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Cork or tightly cover the bottle.
Tips
- For best results, pick chive blossoms when they are fully opened but have not yet started to fade and go to seed.
- White wine vinegar works well with onion-like flavors, but you could also use red wine vinegar or homemade apple vinegar.
Recipe Variations
- Combine the optional fresh chive leaves with the blossoms. They will add a more intensely onion-y flavor to the finished vinegar.
- Use garlic chive (Allium tuberosum) blossoms instead of regular chive (A. schoenoprasum) blossoms. Garlic chive blossoms are white rather than pink, and as their common name implies they have a strong garlic-y flavor. Garlic chives usually bloom later in the year than regular chives.