Chives are one of the most popular vegetables that can be found in almost every garden. By May at the latest, it begins to bloom and bud-like tips form at the end of the stem. But what if you harvest more than you can decorate? Of course you can freeze chives and enjoy them all year round. But have you ever wondered if and how you use chive flowers? The small pink-violet flowers are a great eye-catcher, but can also be eaten without any problems and are a great addition to our summer kitchen. But enough talking, read on and find out what you can do with chive flowers below.
Are chive flowers edible?
Contrary to popular belief, chive flowers are edible and not poisonous. The flowers are particularly high in nectar, making chives an excellent bee-friendly plant. Due to the high nectar content, the flowers do not taste as strong as the stalks of chives, but have a delicate, lovely-sweet taste. Sometimes as an addition to salads and sauces, aromatic herb butter or even chive vinegar – there are endless ways to use chive flowers.
How to harvest chive flowers?
In order to use chive flowers, we first need to know how to harvest them properly. So that you don’t disturb the little bees and other protégés in the garden, we recommend harvesting in the early morning hours. In addition, the flowers in the morning are particularly rich in many essential oils. Here’s a quick guide on how to harvest chive flowers.
- Cut the flower stalks off at the base with a sharp knife.
- Pour out the harvested chive blossoms vigorously.
- Since vigorous flushing destroys the petals, make sure you harvest the cleanest buds possible.
- For the best flavor, it is best to process the chive blossoms immediately after harvest.
Use chive flowers
To get the most out of your harvest and avoid food waste, keep our ideas on how to use chive flowers in mind.
Make chive blossom vinegar yourself
What is probably the easiest and at the same time tastiest way to use chive blossoms? By making Chive Blossom Vinegar ourselves, of course! With its mild, slightly sweet taste, this vinegar is a great addition to our summer kitchen and tastes really delicious with crunchy salads and vegetarian dishes. Below are two options on how to make your own chive vinegar.
Ingredients:
- About 20 freshly harvested chive blossoms
- 700 ml white vinegar
Preparation:
- The first method is much faster. To do this, heat the vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat and pour it over the chive blossoms. Allow the mixture to stand at room temperature for 3 days. Strain through a fine sieve and pour into bottles.
- The second method requires some patience, but it’s definitely worth the wait. First, crush the chive flowers with a mortar and pestle and place them in a large, clean jar. Pour vinegar over until the flowers are completely covered. Close the jar tightly and let stand at room temperature, protected from sunlight and heat, for 2 weeks. Then strain into a nice glass bottle and voilà – it’s that easy to make chive blossom vinegar yourself.
Recipe for Chive Blossom Butter
Whether for roasting fish and meat or as a spread – we love herb butter! And it tastes even better when we make it ourselves! So how about trying something new and using chive flowers to make chive flower butter?
Ingredients:
- 5-7 freshly harvested chive flowers
- 120 grams salted butter, at room temperature
Make chive blossom butter yourself:
- Soak chive blossoms in cold water for 10-15 minutes and let dry on a tea towel.
- Separate the florets from the flower.
- Place the butter in a small bowl and lightly fluff with a whisk or mixer.
- Add the florets and mix well with a wooden spoon until smooth.
- Pour into a serving container and store in the fridge.
- And your aromatic chive blossom butter is ready!
Herbal salt with chive blossoms
And here is another great idea how you could use chive flowers! Herbal salt gives our dishes a wonderfully refreshing touch and also looks really great thanks to the purple color. And this is how easy it is to make chive herb salt yourself:
- How much chive blossoms you use depends on your own taste. The more flowers you take, the more intense the herbal salt will taste.
- Allow coarse sea salt to dry in the oven at 50 degrees for 1-2 hours. Alternatively, you can spread it out on a flat plate and let it air dry in as warm a place as possible. With both methods, you should turn the salt in between.
- Next, finely grind the salt and chive blossoms with a hand mortar and pack them airtight.
Fried eggs with chive flowers
And finally, we have a really delicious recipe for you with chive blossoms. Our fried eggs with chive blossoms taste like spring and will definitely be a hit at the next brunch in the garden, I promise.
Ingredients:
- 3 stalks of chives with the flowers
- 2 Owner
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Roughly chop the chives and the blossoms and place in the pan for 30 seconds.
- Beat the eggs over it and season with paprika powder, salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook over medium heat until the whites are cooked but the yolks are still slightly runny.
- Serve with a crunchy salad or fresh bread and enjoy!