Chives are a wonderful but underused ally to the witch who works in the garden and in the kitchen. They are an easy herb to grow – far easier to manage than its other allium cousins, onion or garlic, and they can produce all season long with a bit of care. Plus, like the other alliums, they convey the magical properties of protection and hex-breaking which are always welcome in a witch’s home.
Here in Southern New England, the first shoots of chives break ground in late April or early May and they are ready to harvest by the end of May or early June. We try to wait until they have flowered for the first time to harvest and then we cut them back to about 1 inch. This can be done every two to three months throughout your harvest season giving you a near-endless supply of herb to use in your kitchen and in your magic.
We cut up the green shoots and store them in the fridge where they can be added to any dish that you might use onion but the flowers – oh, they are a treasure all their own! They can be put into salads for a spicy flower treat or added to dishes as an edible garnish but I wanted to share with you my secret for preserving the beautiful flavor of chive: chive blossom-infused vinegar.
If you’ve been hanging around for a while, you might have caught on that I love using long-form infusions in my witch work. Stored safely in a ball jar, you can infuse your intentions into your work over and over again as you return to it daily to shake the contents. Then, depending on your intention, you can charge the final product with any number of things (sunlight, moonlight, candles, insert your favorite method here) to finalize your ingredient. This can then go into further spellwork or be used as-is.
Making chive vinegar is easy: harvest and wash your chive flowers. You want to use flowers that are opened but not at the seed phase yet. You can add in some greens, too, if you want, but this is not necessary. Add your chive blossoms to a sealable jar (I prefer ball-styled jars for this purpose but a reused jar will do so long as it seals well) and top with white vinegar. I use about twice as much vinegar as chive blossoms but you can add more or less – just make sure that your blossoms are submerged. Put your vinegar in a space out of the direct sun and let it sit for three weeks – return to it daily (or as often as you remember) to give it a good shake.
After the three weeks is up, strain out the chives parts and store the vinegar in a pourable container – you might want to use one that see-through because it is the most beautiful color pink.
There are so many ways that you could use chive vinegar. You can use it to quick pickle things or in a salad dressing. You can clean with it if you think that your house needs hex-breaking and/or protection. Mix one tablespoon of vinegar in with the water when you wash your floors or use it as is to wash windows or mirrors. You could add some into bathwater to create a hex-breaking bath.
Or, how about a combination of all three? Clean yourself (internally and externally) AND clean your house.