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Not only a member of the onion family but also of the collection of four herbs know in French as
fines herbes. Chives have a mild onion taste and are a wonderful addition to many a salad and vegetable dish.
Much loved by the Chinese dating back to their earliest records they were first introduced to the West by Marco Polo.
 Chives How to Grow Easily grown from seed, every garden should find a patch for a bunch of chives with their dark green stems and pretty flowering heads. Chives do well when sewn in plugs for transplanting on into rich soil, find a spot where the sun can find it but keep well watered particularly if kept in a container. Cut the stems right back to encourage new growth and don’t waste any of the flowering heads, give them a wash and snip them onto a finished salad for great flavour and decorative effect. Watch out for greenfly, especially in container grown plants. Leave to die back over winter ready for the following spring. How to Cook Fresh chives are perfect with fish, salads, cheeses, egg and potato dishes. Always add them at the end or their flavour will be lost. Try mixing some with butter or into a classic vinaigrette or creamy salad dressing. Hot new potatoes with black pepper and chive butter really are something quite special. See also Garlic Chives Content and picture © Miles Collins |