Chive Seeds History

Chives have been used since 3000 BC and can be found growing wild in Asia, Europe, Australia and North America. The ancient Romans correlated the strong tasting chive to physical strength and fed them to racehorses, wrestlers and workers to make them strong. Many people believed that stronger tasting herbs had greater healing power so chives were believed to improve appetite, kidney function and blood pressure. In addition, it was used to relieve sunburn and sore throat pain. Marco Polo brought chives to Europe from China in the late 13th century. Chives hung from the rafters were said to prevent bad luck. An old British tradition suggests using chives to border one’s garden or hang over the doorway of the home prevents evil spirits from entering.

How To Grow Chives

The easiest and most successful way of growing chives is planting rooted clumps in spring, after frost danger has passed. Divide established plants every three to four years. Spring is the best time for division. Space plants 6-12 inches apart. Replant new clumps in soil enriched with organic matter, such as fine compost. You can also start chives from seed.
You can easily grow chives indoors in a bright, sunny location. Pots must have holes in the bottom for drainage. Use a good houseplant potting mix that has light, well-drained soil. During winter, when light is poor, the plant will not grow much. The plant may even die back a bit, but should rally with the return of brighter sun in spring. Do not fertilize during winter.

Preserving And Storing Chives

freezing is always a possibility. I tend to use frozen chives in soups, sauces, and stews, since the flavor of the chives remains consistent over time, but the texture tends to suffer after thawing. In this situation, I wash and finely chop the chives before freezing. After this, you have a couple of options. Fill ice cube trays with chopped chives. Add just enough water or olive oil to cover the herbs and freeze until solid. Check out Faith’s post on how to freeze and preserve fresh herbs in olive oil. Dry-freeze your chopped chives by either vacuum-sealing the herbs or by simply putting them in a freezer bag and removing the air as best you can. I have used a straw in this situation. Click here to learn more.

How To Use Chives

Chives are great when snipped over scrambled eggs, mixed into soups, dips or sauces, but I knew there was no way I could keep up with this kind of volume for just those dishes. ou can use typical chives — slim, round ones with mild onion flavor. Garlic chives are flatter and more wispy than those, and they have an undertone of garlic flavor. Click here to learn 3 amazing uses for chives.