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The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe
Nutrition Facts (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 0mg | 0% |
Total Carbohydrate 0g | 0% |
Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
Total Sugars 0g | |
Protein 0g | |
Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
Calcium 1mg | 0% |
Iron 0mg | 0% |
Potassium 1mg | 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 stalks. 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. For the quick method, you pour hot vinegar over the blossoms and steep for three days. With the longer method, which we're featuring in this recipe, you infuse the blossoms in room-temperature vinegar for two weeks. This yields a more strongly-flavored, higher-quality product and is well worth the longer infusing time. You can use this same method to make other herbal vinegars.
Ingredients
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1 cup fresh chive blossoms
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1 1/2 cups vinegar
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1/4 cup chopped chive leaves, optional
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe
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Crush the blossoms to release their scent and flavor.
The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe
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Loosely pack them into a clean glass pint jar (it is not necessary to sterilize the jar first).
The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe
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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.
The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe
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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.
The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe
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Strain the vinegar into an attractive, clean glass bottle. Compost or discard the spent blossoms.
The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe
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Cork or tightly cover the bottle.
The Spruce / Debbie Wolfe
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.
Quick Hot Vinegar Method
Place the chive blossoms and optional chive leaves in a clean, heat-proof glass jar (it is not necessary to sterilize the jar). Heat the vinegar until it comes just to a simmer (don't let it get to a full boil), then pour the hot vinegar over the chives. Cover tightly and label the jar with the date. Store at room temperature away from direct light or heat for 3 days. Strain the vinegar into an attractive, clean glass bottle and then cork or seal. Compost or discard the spent blossoms.
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.