Chives are such effortless growers that they boost any gardener's confidence. Just give them some sun, water them once a week, and watch them grow. Snip them back, and in a week they grow again.
To plant chives, find a spot that gets at least six hours of sun a day. Chives like the standard herb mixture of two parts garden soil or potting soil, two parts peat, one part sand, and one part compost or composted cow manure. Buy tiny organically grown plants with several chives in each pot. Dig a hole for each pot that's twice the size of the root ball. Sprinkle a bit of extra sand in the hole, then set in the chives, pile the soil back up around them, and tamp it down. Water with warm water, and then water about once a week thereafter.
Chives grow especially well indoors, as long as they're placed in a wide shallow pot that lets them spread out. Give them at least six hours of sun a day, which can be augmented with a ninety-watt halogen flood placed about three feet from the chives. The halogen can be left on for up to twelve hours a day.
Most chives bloom in the spring, with beautiful purple blossoms that look particularly nice planted near purple-blooming sage. Chinese chives, also called garlic chives, bloom in the fall, with white blossoms. Planting both types gives you flowers to enjoy at both seasons, and the tasty leaves last all summer.
With their delicate onion flavor, chives enhance almost every food except sweets. Even canned soup benefits from a tablespoon of minced fresh chives sprinkled on just before serving. Garlic chives, with flatter leaves that regular chives, can be found tied in bunches at Chinese and other markets. They can be minced and used in any recipe that requires a hint of garlic.
The big secret to cooking with chives is never to cook them. Try them sprinkled on broccoli, new potatoes, poached salmon, brown rice, grilled chicken, or even corn on the cob, using a tablespoon of minced fresh chives per serving. Here is an added benefit: Cooks who sprinkle chives onto food often find the flavor so vibrant they omit the salt completely.
Chive blossoms, both regular and garlic, are tasty too. Pick the petals off one by one and toss them into potato salads, green salads, chilled vegetable soups, or marinated vegetables. The taste is strong and oniony, so use just two tablespoons (not packed) of blossoms for four servings. Whole blossoms can be cooked tempura-style and dipped in a gingery soy sauce before enjoying.
