When I first started gardening, one of the very first things I planted in the herb garden was chives. I love the light oniony flavour that they bring to food and the bright green colour of their stems poking out of the earth after a long winter of brown and greys!
As a perennial plant, chives grow year after year, and survive even the harshest of winters. Over time, the chive plant will establish itself in the garden, and produce the most beautiful purple blossom mid-spring time.
Since starting my first herb garden four years ago, I have learned that chives are a great companion plant. That means it is a beneficial plant, supporting the growth of other nearby plants . Having chives, also means increasing the pollination in your community. Bees love the chive's fluffy, purple spring blossoms. Chives are also beneficial in that they deter harmful and unwanted pests in the plants around them, so are great to plant by broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.
Not only are chive blossoms great for the ecosystem and your garden, they are stunning in colour, and tasty in cooking. Every spring, I let the bees feast on the blossoms for a few weeks, and then I selectively trim off about 12-14 blooms for cooking and to infuse in vinegar (I leave the rest for the bees and pollinators!).
Chive blossom vinegar can be substituted for regular vinegar in many dishes that contain similar, oniony flavours. You could also use a teaspoon or so to finish a nice sauce, or my personal favourite use is in a vinaigrette. The light purple colour of the blossom gives the vinegar anywhere from a pale pink to a bright pinky-purple hue, depending on how long you keep the blossoms in the vinegar. I tend to stop infusing after about 1-1.5 weeks, as I want to keep the allium (onion) flavour light. It's up to you and the flavour you wish to achieve, to guide how long you soak the blossoms.
I hope you give this easy infusion a try! It's a great way to use all of the parts of the chive and make a fabulous vinaigrette at the same time.
Enjoy!
Krista
Chive Blossom Vinegar
(makes 1- 250ml mason jar)
Ingredients
12-14 chive blossoms (lightly washed, you don't want any bugs in your vinegar!)
1 cup white wine vinegar (I have used plain vinegar & champagne vinegar, as well - whatever you have)
Method
Place chive blossoms into a sterilized jar (I wash mine in the dishwasher first). The size of the jar will depend on how many blossoms you use. Ideally you want the blossoms packed in. Top with vinegar. Place jar in a cool, dark place for the next 1-2 weeks maximum. Shake jar twice a day. After 1-1.5 weeks, test vinegar for flavour. When vinegar has reached desired taste and colour, strain chive blossoms from vinegar and place into a different clean jar. Store in refrigerator.
Garden Salad with Chive Blossom Vinegar Vinaigrette
To make this fresh from the garden salad, I use ingredients from my garden, so it varies each time I make it and year to year depending on what's growing. If you are shopping for ingredients instead, look for salad items that match the springy freshness and lightness of the chive blossom vinaigrette (I.e. you wouldn't use a bitter arugula here)
A few options are:
Red or Butter Lettuce (early spring varieties)
Peas
Radishes
Edible Flowers (I like to use a few additional chive blossoms here to enhance the flavours of the vinegar - separate the blossom into petals - don't use whole blossoms as they are deceptively strong in flavour)
Sesame Seeds
Crumbled Parmesan (small bits)
For the vinaigrette, I keep it very simple...
Chive Blossom Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1/4 cup chive blossom vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 tsp honey
pinch of salt and pepper
Method
Combine vinegar, honey salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking continuously to emulsify (join) the vinaigrette together. If you are making the vinaigrette ahead of time, it make separate and need to be whisked again before serving. Lightly pour vinaigrette over salad right before serving.
*Recipe Notes:
For the vinaigrette, I am using a 2 part oil to 1 part vinegar ratio because I want to highlight the vinegar flavour. Traditionally a vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Again, if that's your preference, please go ahead and adapt.
After I've finished infusing, I refrigerate the vinegar to help the stability and shelf life.
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