Chives are used as a culinary herb to impart a delicious, subtle, onion-like flavor to foods

Allium schoenoprasum

Plant type:

• Hardy Perennial

growing zones:

• USDA Plant Maturity Zones: 3-9

soil type:

• Rich, well drained soil, but will do well in a variety of soil types. Chives prefer soil conditions with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.

plant propagation:

• Chives and Garlic Chives are easily propagated by division or from seed. I also have found that if the mature seed heads are not removed before fall, they will self seed the remainder of your herb garden!

• They demand little care other than dividing every few years when they become overcrowded.

• They also make attractive border plants for your herb garden.

harvest:

• To harvest, simply cut the fresh leaves at ground-level for use fresh throughout the season.

Freeze chives as the best method to preserve and store:

• Drying chives is not a practical method of preservation. Chives don't hold their flavor when dried, as do many other culinary herbs.

• Freezing seems to be the favored method of preservation. To harvest, cut the fresh leaves for use throughout the season at ground-level. Clip the hollow spears into the desired length and freeze in a single layer, or put a tablespoon-full into each compartment of an ice cube tray, fill with water, freeze, then move the cubes to freezer bags for permanent storage.

Chives use as a culinary herb, goes back as far as the early Chinese and ancient Greek kitchens

• When colonists came to America, they brought the herb, chives, along with other kitchen and medicinal herbs. They were thought to have some magical power to drive away evil influences and diseases, so people hung bunches of them in their homes. As a herbal medicine, today, it is commonly accepted that the allium schoenoprasum does not carry the same value as close relatives, the garlic and onion.

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