Chives

Description

This perennial plant, belonging to the genus Allium, is a hardy bulbous plant that forms very dense clumps, up to about thirty centimetres high.

Leaves

The leaves of these plants are thin, cylindrical, erect, of a fine glaucous colour

Flowers

In late spring or in summer the small, pretty spherical flowers appear, commonly of a lovely mauve colour, more rarely pinkish white. To have more aromatic stems and avoid exhausting the plants, however, it is advisable to cut off the flowers as soon as they have opened; in any case, others will appear after a few weeks.

Exposure

Chives love the sun, but also tolerates a position in half shade, since they like a certain amount of moisture in the soil.

Propagation

The simplest method of propagating chives is to divide the clumps, in this case, of course, the flowers will be identical in colour to those of the parent plant. If instead they are propagated by seed, flowers of various colours can be obtained: from pinkish white to violet.

Growth

The care needed to obtain good results in growing Allium schoenoprasum is very simple, and consists of thinning out clumps that are too dense, keeping the soil suitably moist and feeding it regularly, about once a month. Chives can also be grown in pots without any problem.

Harvesting

The leaves are cut as needed, taking care not to cut them off at the base, but to leave a few centimetres so as to encourage regrowth.

Storage

The leaves can be dried or frozen. Dried leaves are moistened with a little lemon juice when one wishes to rehydrate them.

Properties

IN THE KITCHEN: Those who like the taste of onion, but cannot digest it when they add it raw to salads, can replace it with a few finely sliced chive leaves. Digestion is guaranteed, actually facilitated, and, what is more, the breath will not be a problem. Chive