Like most people when spring comes around I run to the garden store and buy a bunch of flowers and herbs for the gardens. Eight or nine years ago I had bought a chives plant and put it in a flower container in the front yard. At the end of the season, I just left the container and its contents in the yard over the winter. I was surprised to find that chives started growing back the following spring. The chives have been growing back every year since.

My container of chives n our front yard that keeps coming back year after year.

Every year the chives blossom with these really pretty purple flowers. I never really did anything with them until recently when I learned about several edible flowers and their additions to salads and healthy cooking. This spring I decided to actually so something with the chives blossoms and make an infused vinegar that I can use as a dressing for healthy salads.

Chives Blossom Infused Vinegar Recipe:

1 pint size mason canning jar with lid
4" x 4" square of parchment paper
1 1/2 to 2 cups of wine vinegar. (I used a really good imported wine vinegar from Italy. Using the good stuff will result is a really tasty infusion).
1 1/2 to 2 cups of fresh chives blossoms

Remove the flower blossoms from chives stems and thoroughly wash the flowers. Keep the stems for later to flavor up a dinner dish.
Place the blossoms in the mason jar and pour in the vinegar. Push down any floaters and fill the jar to the top.
Place the parchment paper over the jar opening, then screw on the lid. This is important!! The acid will eat the metal canning lid and leave your vinegar infusion tasting like metal.
Leave the jar in a cool dark place for two weeks.
After the two weeks on the shelf, use a fine mesh strainer to remove the left over flower blossoms and pour the purplish liquid into a glass bottle for serving.

The chives blossoms colored the vinegar a rosy red and left a garlicy flavor in the vinegar. This infusion is perfect to jazz up a tossed salads along with a really good olive oil. Overall, I love the flavor of this infusion and will look to do this every year as long as my chives bush keeps coming back.