Chives-
Chives are a perennial herb with clumps of cylindrical tubes or “leaves”. They are a member of the onion family with a milder flavor. Chives grow very well in our area. Edible purple flowers emerge in early summer.
Chives are a common herb used widely in the culinary world. Chives can be used in just about any dish including: salads, dips, soups, stews, vinegar, as well as herb butters.
Chives have insect repelling qualities so they are good to grow in your gardens. Other chives to enjoy are garlic chives.
To store fresh chives wrap them in a damp paper towel and put them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Chives can also be frozen for later use. Wash and trim the chives and allow them to dry completely. When all the moisture is gone place them in freezer bags or ice cube trays with s little water or olive oil.
Chives add little to no nutritional value to your dish, but they do add flavor!
When chive flowers bloom, you can use them too! Their onion-ish taste can flavor just about any dish, as well as provide an aesthetic quality to your dishes!
Herb butter is a great way to preserve herbs over the winter months. Check out our recipe for it!
This is Farmer Jamie’s suggestion, from Farmer John’s cookbook. It’s a tasty departure from the cool cucumber, as this one spends time in the oven. Delicious when the basil and cukes are both popping in the fields.
What to do with an abundance of chives? Try a scallion pancake with a chive substitute! This post includes a link to a gluten-free option (please note you’ll need rice flour & sweet rice flour to make the GF version) as well as to a standard recipe.
These chivey wonders went fast! You can use Old Bay Seasoning or whip up your own. Though these only take a few minutes to cook, allow some chilling time to firm up the cakes before frying.
