It was Mother’s Day weekend, and like last year, I had the intention of giving my mom a jar of chive blossom vinegar. Blossoms still soaking.
The pretty purple flowers had been catching my eye for a while now and I knew I either had to get to it, or prepare to purchase a potted plant of some kind as a gift. Yuck!
So I hopped into the garden with my scissors and snipped off enough blossoms to take care of two mason jars. (I wanted some too!)
The beast manned his post in the shade while I took care of this.
I cut just below the blossom, as that’s all that’s required for vinegar, and collected what I thought was an adequate amount for two mason jars. I made sure to leave behind plenty for all the pollinators to enjoy. (And some to sprinkle onto salads!)
Then I soaked the blossoms in some cold water. There may be little critters hiding out inside the blossoms that I wouldn’t want in the vinegar. After swirling them around in the water I strained them in a colander.
I gave them a good shake to dry them off and set them aside while I cut out squares of parchment paper for the lids. Vinegar and metal don’t mix, so parchment is a good way to keep them separated. I didn’t know this last year and while it didn’t ruin my vinegar, thankfully, it did cause the lids to rust and I had to make a switch on the containers. Lesson learned.
I had enough blossoms to pack the jars about 1/3 to 1/2 full. Which was what I wanted. But more would be good too. I suppose it depends how many the garden has produced.
Then in goes the vinegar! I used two different types of white wine vinegar. One that I had kicking around the kitchen and one that I just bought. The new stuff had quite a golden color to it, where as the older stuff was clear.
I let the jars hang out in the sun for the day then moved them into the house. The next day I threw a bow on one of the jars and a ribbon around a bundle of rhubarb and headed over to moms for a visit. She loved her gifts, though I must say, I don’t think she was very surprised.
The game plan is to give the jars a shake daily and let them hang out for a coupe of weeks. Then strain the flowers out. The vinegar will turn a gorgeous pink color and have an oniony taste. Some days it was the only thing I put on a salad!
What you need:
- Mason Jars
- Enough chive blossoms to fill jars 1/3 to 1/2 full
- White wine or champagne vinegar
- Parchment paper
- Patience
Snip chive blossoms just below the flower. Soak in cold water to remove dust and bugs. Strain through colander and shake to remove excess water. Pack blossoms into mason jars and cover with white wine vinegar. Place parchment paper squares over opening and screw on tops. Shake daily and store in a cool, dark place for two weeks. Strain blossoms out and enjoy!!