A member of the onion family, chives are an ancient herb brought to the West from China by Marco Polo. One of the French fines herbes, chives possess a delicate onion flavor and are an important addition to a kitchen garden.
Culinary uses
When minced, the leaves can be used to flavor many foods, including egg dishes and egg-based sauces. Tie a bundle of chives around steamed carrot sticks or asparagus spears for a flavorful garnish. Chives complement most other vegetables, as well as fish and shellfish.
Add chives to a dish only during the last few minutes of cooking, because they lose flavor quickly in heat.
The lavender-colored flowers can be tossed into salads or added to herb vinegars.
Medicinal uses
While chives are known primarily for their culinary value, in centuries past they were hung in homes to ward off evil and disease.
Cultivation
Chives can be started from seed, but do best when purchased as a bedding plant or propagated by plant division from a friend's garden. Plant clumps 5 to 8 inches apart in a sunny location with well-drained soil. If you cut the plants back after flowering, they will return the following spring. For container chives, dig a clump in late summer, plant it in a pot, and leave it outside for several months to force a dormant period. Bring the pot inside and set it on a sunny window sill. Chives can be snipped for harvest as soon as the plants are 6 inches tall.
