Chive Vinegar Recipe

Chive vinegar makes a great vinaigrette.

Making chive vinegar is an easy afternoon project, and you'll enjoy the results for months in your recipes. Homemade chive vinegar adds a mellow oniony flavor to salad dressings and marinades. 

Chive blossoms have a lovely lavender color, but they turn this luscious vinegar a dramatic ruby shade that looks pretty spectacular. I look forward to making chive vinegar every spring. So will you.

Chive Vinegar Recipe

Chive vinegar ready to strain

Supplies You Will Need:

• One 32 oz.  jar
• Sieve
• Double folded cheesecloth
• Funnel

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Chive blossoms
• 2 Cups White vinegar
• 2 Bay leaves
• 10 Black peppercorns

Instructions:

1. Harvest chive blossoms when they're fully opened but before they've begun to fade.
2. Rinse them thoroughly in cold water.
3. Set them aside to drain.
4. Once fully drained, place blossoms in a sterilized, quart jar.
5. Add vinegar. The proportions are usually about equal, but if the vinegar doesn't cover the blossoms, add a bit more.
6. Add the bay leaf and peppercorns.
7. Make sure the blossom stay completely submerged in the vinegar by adding a weight to secure them. If you don't have a fermentation weight (and you probably don't), use a freezer bag filled with enough water to keep the blossoms below the liquid line. Be sure to close the bag securely and position it right side up.
8. Seal the jar and place it in a cool, dark location.
9. Shake the jar every few days, but don't be too aggressive or you'll release a lot of particulate matter from the blossoms into the vinegar that you'll then have to straining out.
10. You can decant chive vinegar in two weeks, but it will have a stronger, richer flavor if you wait for a month.
11. After steeping, strain the mixture through a sieve lined with a cheesecloth.
12. Discard the blossoms.
13. Pour the chive vinegar into a decorative jar.
14. Enjoy.

Do you want some recipes to showcase your homemade chive vinegar? These recipes are a few of my favorites: Chive Vinegar Enhanced Recipes

Chive blossoms make it delicious flavored vinegar.