Ingredient of the Month: Chives

If you have an herb garden, then I bet you’re like me and tend to experiment with various herbs. I’ve found in my herb-story (if you will), that I started growing rosemary several years ago then added basil then mint, and then lavender, chives, sage and thyme this past year.

It’s fun to try new things as far as growing herbs because they’re cheap and you get to find new ways of using them in your cooking.

Which brings me to our Ingredient of the Month: chives!

These little spiky green guys were the surprise of my summer herb garden. They were super easy to grow, loved the sun and added the finishing touch to many of our dips and entrees.

Tell me more:

Chives are an allium (relative of garlic and onions) that grow in long, thin green stems (or scapes) with white roots.

Where do I buy chives:

If you don’t have a window spot or pot or herb garden to grow chives in, you can usually find them in the refrigerated or fresh herb section of your grocery store. Look for chives that are strong and not slimy.

How do I store chives:

I just clip my chives from my garden right when I need to use them. If you buy them from the grocery, then just refrigerate them in the container they came in. They are best used as soon as possible or can be kept in the fridge for a few days.

How do I cook with chives:

Although you may think chives are only for topping twice-baked potatoes, they are good on those and so much more. They have a light onion, savory taste and just need to be minced for topping.

One thing I have done is make chive butter or chive garlic butter. Just mix good butter at room temperature with a few chopped chives and some garlic and salt. It’s great on potatoes, corn and bread!