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Chive-tastic!

Posted on April 25th, 2008 – 8:15 AM
By Jaime Chismar
chives.jpg

The first two springs in my garden, the garlic chives were apprehensive and fickle.

“Do we really want to sprout in April? Let’s send up a few test shoots, then sit tight until May.”

This year, with all the spring moisture, they’ve sprouted green and bold.

“Bring on the drizzle and gray — We’ll only grow bigger! Bwah ha ha!”

These spring sprouts are the only edible plant in my garden right now and I’d like to make better use of them. Yes, they are awfully tasty on a potato and in a salad, but they must have other culinary uses, right?

What are your favorite ways to use chives?

This entry was posted on Friday, April 25th, 2008 at 8:15 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

8 Responses to "Chive-tastic!"

Lorika says:

April 25th, 2008 at 11:13 am

I use them in breakfast scrambles all the time. Delicious!

Amy says:

April 25th, 2008 at 12:09 pm

I have had my chives for the last 7+ years and I never use them as much as I would like to (They are a lot of work to dig up and clean!). I usually use them on salads and anything that calls for onions. I dug up a chunk last year to use in a stir fry. Well, some of them were really tough and straw-like. Gross! I noticed that there is a lot of dead growth amongst the new growth. I have a couple of very large clumps in my garden. Do you recommend thinning them out? If so, how would I do that?

judybusy says:

April 25th, 2008 at 2:46 pm

Hi Amy,I’d like to let you know you are making chives WAY too hard! You aren’t supposed to eat the bulbs, but just snip the green parts off. The straw-like ones you got were flower stalks, which are bad eatins. Rake out the dead growth and if you wish smaller chunks, dig up what you have, split up and replant a smaller chunk. Give away or compost the rest.

I also love chives with scrambled eggs and sorrel, another early spring treat.

Great to see GG back! Now it really *is* spring!

Diane says:

April 26th, 2008 at 9:44 am

My favorite use for chives: organic pest management. Divide & plant clumps around stuff I don’t want the critters munching on. I hope to get enough this season to do the veggie garden perimeter.

Jaime Chismar says:

April 26th, 2008 at 4:35 pm

Hey judybusy! Good to hear from you this spring!

I want to thank you and Lorika for the scramble suggestion. This morning I made some very tasty eggs!

Mary Schier says:

April 28th, 2008 at 1:48 pm

Diane: I didn’t know chives kept critters away. I have plenty of chives (frankly, they’re kind of a weed) and plenty of critters (especially pocket gophers and bunnies). Thanks for the tip!

Weird Aunt Martha says:

April 29th, 2008 at 2:10 pm

I’m with you Mary, they’re a weed. And to that point, they have a heck of a root system. Unfortunately, someone before me planted them and they grow under my deck. They’re incredibly hard to reach and remove, and they smell all summer long. Don’t get me wrong, I like chives, but don’t particularly like to smell them while sitting on my deck.

Maybe I’ll make my boyfriend happy and cook with them. LOL

Jaime Chismar says:

April 29th, 2008 at 11:55 pm

You take chive-tastic to a whole new level, Martha — LOL! Some smells are inescapable. We have a late blooming lilac by our front door, Lil’ Kim. By the end of June, her perfume is so sickeningly sweet, I am tempted to clip the remaining blossoms.

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