Chive Blossom Vinegar

I've always been a warm weather girl. Blame it on my California roots, but there is nothing like spring and summer to me. I'm even one of those weird ones that doesn't mind humidity at all and almost relishes that "I can't breathe" feeling when you open the doors on a hot and humid summer day.

Some of my favorite childhood summer memories are from spending hours outside in the garden with my mom, who has the most incredible green thumb. When I was too young to really help, she'd give me a spray bottle and have me "water the plants." It was the coolest thing to me when I was young and I remember doing it for what seemed like hours.

Now that we have our own garden, there's nothing I love more than spending time outside, planting, trimming, and harvesting from our garden. Later this week, I'll give you a tour of what's in there this year, but today, let's talk about something from my herb garden.

Chives are some of the most effortless herbs to grown, because no matter what you do or how you neglect them, there's always some lovely purple chive blossoms every Spring. Last year, I decided to make some chive blossom vinegar and I think it just might be my new favorite way to use them. It has the most delicious mild onion flavor and is incredible for making salad dressings, adding to summer potato salads, or balancing the flavors in a light summer soup.

Chive blossom vinegar really couldn't be easier to make. You can make as small or as large of a batch as you want - simply cut as many blossoms that can fill a small mason jar. I use my salad spinner to give them a quick rinse and then spin them dry.

Pack into a mason jar and fill with whatever vinegar you choose. Last year, I used white wine vinegar and this year, I decided to go with an apple cider vinegar. Fill and top jar with a non-corrosive lid. I used plastic, but I've also used the traditional metal ring lid with a piece of parchment paper underneath to protect from corrosion.

Place in a cool dark place for a few weeks (I just put them in the back of my fridge) and wait. After 2-3 weeks, remove from fridge and strain out blossoms. You'll be left with the most gorgeous dark pink vinegar. Store the fridge indefinitely, although ours never seems to last long.

Enjoy!