Honey & Chive Blossom Vinaigrette
This honey and chive blossom vinaigrette is a frugal, easy and healthy homemade salad dressing that pairs beautifully with fresh garden salads all season long.
* * *
Chives are one of my favourite herbs to grow at home. They’re incredibly easy to grow, they’re one of the first things to bloom in the spring and the last to die in the fall, and they’ll come back year after year with little to no effort at all.
They’re also packed with flavour, they make an excellent addition to a wide range of dishes and can easily be dried for use in the winter months. But personally, I think the real star of the chive plant has to be the stunning purple flowers that burst open mid spring.
These chive blossoms are not only beautiful to admire, they’re edible too! You can crumble the flower petals over your salad or pasta dish as an oniony garnish similar in flavour to chives, but with a pretty pop of purple colour. Or you can use the blossoms to infuse oil, vinegar or salt and add these infusions to your cooking. You can even use the flowers as part of a handpicked spring bouquet!
One of my personal favourite ways to use chive blossoms is to infuse them into white vinegar and use this as a base for one of my favourite homemade salad dressings: honey and chive blossom vinaigrette.
Chive-infused vinegar and a little raw honey are all you need to make this simple yet delicious vinaigrette that pairs beautifully with fresh, hand-picked garden salads full of whatever is on offer at the time; Lettuce, peas, strawberries, tomatoes, red onion, carrots, blueberries, radishes… This vinaigrette goes great with them all, so feel free to get creative!
How to make chive blossom infused vinegar
Making chive blossom infused vinegar is really easy. Just pinch or cut the blossoms off of the chive plant with a pair of kitchen or garden shears, clean them up and make sure there are no bugs on them (I just brush them off with my hand), then stuff them in a Mason jar and cover with vinegar. Let the mixture sit for a few weeks while the vinegar infuses and turns deep purple/pink in colour.
Once it’s had time to infuse, strain the blossoms out and mix the vinegar with a little raw honey to add sweetness. I usually add about two or three tablespoons of honey to every pint sized (16oz) jar of chive blossom vinegar, but you can adjust this according to your own tastes. You can then use the vinaigrette as-is or blend it with a little olive oil and pour over salads, much like you would with a balsamic vinaigrette.
Once ready, the vinaigrette is a useful addition to your own kitchen and also makes a beautiful, functional and frugal gift. Since it’s a vinegar, it keeps well for a long time. I do personally store mine in the fridge once I’ve strained it and mixed it with honey. But it should be pretty shelf-stable since both vinegar and honey have a very long shelf life.
The best part of all though, is that you’re able to use a part of the plant that you might have otherwise gone to waste. Plus, this is an extremely frugal, healthy, organic homemade dressing that makes an excellent alternative to anything you’ll find on store shelves.
So? What are you waiting for? Grab some jars & some white vinegar and go take advantage of the chive blossoms that are probably already growing in your garden. And if you’re not growing chives, then plant some! But in the meantime, check with friends, neighbours and family members, because chances are someone you know will have chives growing in their garden and will be happy to share with you, especially since most people don’t use the blossoms anyway.
Just remember to ask for permission before harvesting anything out of anyone else’s private garden. And maybe make them a bottle of honey and chive blossom vinaigrette as a token of appreciation. After all, there’s no better way to say thank you than with a gift that’s grown from soil, made by hand and given from the heart.
Honey & Chive Blossom Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- Chive Blossoms
- White Vinegar
- Raw Honey
Instructions
- Harvest as many chive blossoms as you want or are able to by cutting or picking the blossoms just below the base of the flower.
- Clean and inspect your chive blossoms to ensure they are bug-free.
- Pack chive blossoms into Mason jars until each jar is full to the base of the jar rim and cover blossoms completely with white vinegar.
- Place lids on jars and store in a cool, dark place for 2 to 6 weeks. (The longer you leave the vinegar to infuse, the more the vinegar will take on the flavour of the chive blossoms).
- After your vinegar is infused and is purple/pink in colour, strain out chive blossoms and transfer vinegar to a clean Mason jar. Add as much honey as you desire, then screw the lid on and shake vigorously until vinegar and honey is well combined.
- Transfer vinaigrette to a bottle with a pouring spout (optional) and store in the refrigerator.
Wishing you homemade, homegrown, homestead happiness 🙂
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Your email was such great timing! I loved this idea and ran right out to pick chive blossoms that are just right and popped them into a jar with my mild homemade apple cider vinegar. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Oh I’m so glad! Yes, I actually wrote this post a couple years ago but thought it was the perfect time to revamp and revive it! Enjoy:)