Chive flower blossom vinegar

I came home from work this evening knowing that I would be enveloped in raspberries for the better part of the night. Tonight I had raspberry jam making on the agenda.

But before I got down to business, I popped out into the garden to check on something that I have been checking on every evening for the past week. My chives! When-oh-when are those babies going to blossom? Each night I pop my head out the door anxious to see if the flowers will have opened, because I have plans for those babies. I love chives. I could put them in almost anything. Great in a salad, great in salsa, great in chili...you get the picture.

I made tarragon vinegar a couple of months ago and I just can't get enough of it. Flavoured vinegars are amazing and so versatile, so I started to think about what chive blossom vinegar would be like and in my mind, it sounded GREAT!

Flavoured vinegars are so easy, so if like me, you have noticed that your chive blossoms are about to open up their beautiful little blooms and you are wondering what you could do with them, you have come to the right place cause I am about to tell you.

Like me, you wait until those babies have bloomed and the flowers have opened. Then you cut them all off, put them in a big bowl of cold water and give them a good rinse. You are not the only one that has been waiting anxiously for these flowers to open. Numerous insects have been waiting to enjoy them as well and we don't need any protein in our flavoured vinegar. So give them a good rinse. Use a salad spinner if you want to be extra thorough.

Then get your jar, which you will have previously sanitized and stuff the flowers inside it. 1/2 or 3/4 full is what I always aim for. Then depending on your budget you can do one of two things. 1) you can fill that jar full of regular old white vinegar or 2) you can fill the jar full of white wine vinegar. I usually opt for white wine but you can do either.

Then cover that jar with 2 layers of saran wrap and let it sit for at least 2 weeks in a cool dark place. Give the jar a swirl every couple of days. 2 weeks later, strain the liquid, discard the flowers and put your vinegar into a pretty jar of your choice and enjoy!

Not only does this vinegar taste ever so subtly of onions but it will turn a soft purple lavender in colour which makes this vinegar particularly lovely to look at in a jar and makes a great hostess gift for all of the bbq's or cottages you will get invited to this summer.

Pear and Vanilla Aigre-Doux

Yesterday I spent the morning in the commercial kitchen making pineapple jam and apple earl grey jelly. I am preparing for the Withrow Market but also needed to fill a few orders that came in over the week. On days where I spend a lot of time making preserves or jams, etc for others, I like to balance things out by making something new for myself. Generally something I have never made before. It helps to keep the love alive if you know what I mean.

I had bought some pears at the market earlier this week and was originally thinking to preserve them with ginger which is something I have done before in the past. But I was really looking for something altogether different and my recent affair with Aigre-Doux needed a little more exploration. So when I came across the recipe for pear and vanilla aigre-doux, I knew I had found my project for the late afternoon. When something calls for pears, white wine (I used Gewurztraminer) honey, champagne vinegar, sugar, vanilla beans and black pepper I am powerless to resist.

It is almost instantly gratifying as unlike jams or jellies that can take close to an hour or longer to make, the Aigre-Doux is wrapped up and in the hot water bath generally in 20-25 minutes. And once again I found myself thinking that it looks almost too good to eat, but only almost. There was a little of the aigre-doux sauce left over and I reduced it down in a medium sized pan for about 4 minutes and then let it cool slightly and drizzled it over a spinach salad with some roasted walnuts. So good.

I used the Mandarin Aigre-Doux from last week as well. I drained the juice and reduced it down and then blended it with the mandarins and drizzled a little bit into some parsley soup. It was like a splash of spring in the bowl.

My Summer Adventures at Withrow Market

This summer you will be able to find my at the Withrow Market every 2nd Saturday starting on May 19th, which I realized earlier this week is next weekend. Gulp...so much still to be done. Thankfully I spent the better part of the day in the Commercial kitchen today making more Pineapple Jam and Apple Earl Grey Jelly so I know that I will have enough for opening day. Alongside those two favourites, there will be Onion and Garlic Jam, Angry Pickled Garlic, Spicy Pickled Carrots, Orange Onion Jam with Sage and Thyme, Jalapeno Jelly, Ginger Jelly, Meyer Lemon Marmalade, Raspberry Jam...the list is long and I hope people love it.

Earlier this week I went to the Market meeting and met some of the fabulous people who bring this market to life for the people in the community. They volunteer doing things like making sure traffic doesn't get congested, that people know where to set up their stalls, that there is entertainment for kids, they take photos and this year there is talk of videos, they put up signs, circulate flyers, etc. If you live in the area you should really consider volunteering. Without the market, where would you get access to fabulous farmer's bringing you their fruits and vegetables as well as get great jams and jellies such as mine :).

I am really excited to be a part of it and hope you make it out one weekend this summer.

3 easy steps to an afternoon pick-me-up

I was out later than usual last night. My friend Sheri was in town from Scotland and a group of us met up for a few drinks. So this afternoon after I took a nap on the lawn in the sunshine with my dog Betty I needed a little something to shake out the cobwebs and get me energized to make a batch of jam. Allow me to introduce you to the Afternoon Energizer

Ingredients:

4-5 ice cubes

1/2 cup of milk

1/4 cup of Coffee Booziness

Mix all 3 ingredients in your blender of choice, pour into a nice tall glass and enjoy. It is exactly what this Sunday afternoon called out for!

The beauty of preserves

So I love making preserves for a lot of different reasons. Raspberry jam is possibly one of my all time favourites because I love every step of the process. From walking up and down a raspberry patch with a plastic bucket and picking the berries (eating more than I save) to mashing them up, to making the jam to spreading it on my toast with a little melted butter. Pickled Green Beans it is all about the final product. Having a crisp and spicy pickled green bean floating in a nice spicy Caeser drives me to make jar after jar of them. Caramelized Onion and Roasted Garlic Jam it all comes down to smell. The smell of onions caramelizing drives me crazy with hunger and most times when I roast the garlic I roast a clove or two just to spread on a baguette. Spicy Tomato Jam ranks up high on the list as well. I have enjoyed growing the tomato plants from seed and knowing that what ends up in the jars is grown from my own garden with no pesticides makes me savour each and every bite. I could go on and on.

But then we come to Jalapeno Jelly. I find making jellies in general therapeutic. I love straining the jelly over and over again to ensure the final product is almost crystal clear. The entire process takes several days as the jelly needs to sit for a few days so the sediment settles on the bottom and I think I enjoy the pace of it. And yes the final product tastes delicious. A spoonful of this jelly with cream cheese on a cracker is heavenly.

But Jalapeno Jelly is GORGEOUS, it is as simple as that. I make jalepeno jelly because I love to look at it. I would line my window sills with jars of it and just sit and watch as the sun shines through. In fact that is exactly what I found myself doing this morning with my latest batch.