Chive Blossom Vinegar

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 Best Method: Chive Blossoms, Room Temperature Vinegar, and Patience

This method of making chive blossom vinegar, as well as other herbal vinegars, is well worth the longer infusing time (compared to the quick method below).

1. For best results, pick chive blossoms when they are fully opened but have not yet started to fade and go to seed. Crush the blossoms to release their scent and flavor. Loosely pack them into a clean glass pint jar (it is not necessary to sterilize the jar first).

1. Pour the vinegar over the chive blossoms until they are completely immersed in the liquid. White wine vinegar works well with onion-y flavors, but you could also use red wine vinegar or homemade apple vinegar. Stir the chives down into the vinegar with a spoon or chopstick.
2. Tightly cover the jar and label it with the date. Store at room temperature away from direct light or heat for 2 weeks.
3. Strain the vinegar into an attractive, clean glass bottle. Compost or discard the spent blossoms.
4. Cork or tightly cover the bottle.

The Quicker Hot Vinegar Method

1. Place the chive blossoms and optional chive leaves in a clean, heat-proof glass jar (it is not necessary to sterilize the jar).
2. Heat the vinegar until it comes just to a simmer (don't let it get to a full boil).
3. 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.
4. Strain the vinegar into an attractive, clean glass bottle. Compost or discard the spent blossoms.
5. Cork or tightly cover the bottle.

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.