Chive Vinegar

When we were at Conner Prairie a few weeks ago, one of the characters had mentioned to me that she had chive flowers and apple cider vinegar brewing and that it smelled so good.  When we got home, I started to research what they used this combination for and came across a tutorial on creating chive vinegar.  The onion-flavored vinegar is used as a base for salad dressings, potato salads, etc.  Since I grow chives in my herb garden, I thought I'd give it a try!

You'll want to pick the newly opened and bright colored flowers.

Wash them gently in water to get all the bugs and dirt out of them.

I laid them out on a paper towel for an hour or so to dry completely.

Another website said to crush the flowers a little to bring out the flavor more, but I left mine whole.

Cover with either rice wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.  I used a regular distilled vinegar, but after-the-fact read that the acidity of this vinegar can overpower the onion flavor.  Oops!  I'll try one of the other three next year!

Store in a cool, dark place for 2-3 weeks and it turns this beautiful pink color.  Afterwards, strain out the flowers and store in the refrigerator for up to a month.  I can't wait to try it!