Friend, Anybody Can Weld
by
Karen
Hanson
continued from
page two
Garlic chives are often used as an ornamental border because they
remain green all year. These flowers attract bees and bumblebees
galore when their charming white flower-heads are blooming in the herb
garden. You might want to consider allowing some of the flowers to
completely dry on the plant. Then, when the petals are paper-dry,
harvest them to use in dried arrangements or within an herbal wreath.
It is best to use these herbs in their fresh state as the flavor and
nutrition is diminished by cooking. Remember to wait until the
last few minutes of cooking to stir in these herbs; long cooking
destroys the delicate flavor. Being a coarser plant, garlic
chives should be chopped more finely than the onion chives before
adding to dishes. Garlic chive blooms are edible; the flowers
have a mild, sweet aroma and a pleasant flavor. They can be
tossed into salads, add them to stir-fries at the last minute, or add
them to sauteed or steamed vegetables or baked potatoes. Use to
garnish herb butters or sauces and to garnish plates. Garlic
chives should be chopped very finely before using them. The
mauve pin-cushion blossoms of onion chives are also used to flavor
vinegar; the finished product ends up a lovely rosy hue.
Although both onion and garlic chives produce small bulbs below
ground, it is the leaves that are used in the kitchen. Use onion
chives whenever a mild onion flavor is desired. This herb
contains phosphorus, iron, Vitamins A and C, and pectin. It has
a reputation of stimulating the appetite and toning up kidneys.
It also contains calcium which strengthens nails and teeth.
Onion chives complement cheese, soups, salads, egg dishes, dips,
spreads and any food you would use onion with. The tasty new
leaves of garlic chives have antibiotic properties; the sulfur oil in
these strap-like blue-green leaves is antiseptic and helps lower blood
pressure.
|
DID YOU KNOW?
-Chives may be planted as border
around the vegetable garden.
-Chives are a crucial ingredient in
fines herbes and bouquet garni.
-Adding blossoms of onion chives
creates a flavorful and rosy-colored herb vinegar.
-Garlic chives have a robust flavor
and should be used sparingly.
-Romanian gypsies are said to have
used chives in their fortune telling rites.
-Chives fare well grown as a potted
plant indoors. |
Home-dried chives soon lose their color and the flavor turns salty
over time,
but they can be successfully frozen. Chop them and freeze in
small packet. If frozen for future use, chopped chives do not
have to be thawed before use. The best and most nutritious way
to use them though, is fresh. You may want to try drying chives
leaves in a cool oven with sea salt and crush to store as chive salt.
In the garden, these herbs can become aphid traps for your carrots and
roses is planted nearby. Chives also have a reputation of
deterring Japanese beetles and black spot on roses. Farmers who
garden with organic methods sometimes prepare a natural insecticide by
grinding garlic, chives and chili with water to use as a spray.
Harvest your chives frequently by pinching off stems from the outside
of the plant’s base - cutting with clippers or scissors will cause the
stems to turn brown. Allow new shoots to mature from the center
of the clump.
Whatever your reason for growing chives, onion and/or garlic, you can
be sure this flavorsome herb family will prove its worth in the garden
and in the home.
|
