Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Chives Know Your Herbs and Spices
Chives are the Princess of the Allium family. Long slender green leaves topped with light pink fluffy flowers.
Chives are in good company. The allium group includes onions, shallots, scallions, leeks and garlic. Chives are high in vitamin C, potassium and folic acid and also contain vitamin A, calcium and iron.
The leaves mostly serve as a mild behind-the-scenes flavor. They give off a subtle onion-garlic flavor and scent. Snip these hollow leaves with a kitchen shears. Chives are high in natural oils and respond better to cutting with a shears than a knife.
Try adding some snips to butter or cream cheese. Use these spreads for a breakfast treat on toast or a bagel or add a scoop to your baked potatoes.
Toss a few chive snips into creamed soups for flavor and color. Add some snips to your homemade salad dressings. Sprinkle on almost anything as a garnish. The flowers are also edible to use in salads or as garnish.
You can grow chives in a small pot on your windowsill and snip them like “mowing your grass” as you need them. I had a pot growing that lasted almost 5 years for me.
Dry chives and freeze them to have on hand when your dish just needs a little something extra.
