Can't believe I won an XBOX360 in the weekly competition thing - something new to review!
Can't believe I won an XBOX360 in the weekly competition thing - something new to review!
Member since:26.05.2004
Reviews:301
Video reviews:1
Members who trust:98
One of my early memories from when I was a little girl, was helping my chinese grandmothers friends, the 'chews' as I thought they were called, pick vegetables and herbs in their huge back garden. I remember being pretty taken with the chives, especially when they told me the flowers were edible - round I walked with bits of chive hanging out of my mouth, and I was rewarded for my hard work with a delicious chive omelette for my tea .
I still love chives for various reasons - I still love eating them, and I like growing them too, they're so easy to care for and the purple flower heads are attractive. And the fact that chives have some insect repelling properties doesn't hurt either . Chives are actually the smallest varity of the onion family, and can grow from small onion like bulbs . They can also easily be grown from seed, and have a handy habit of self-pollinating, so once you've got a couple of plants in, you'll soon have more .
The ancient Chinese have the first documented usage of chives in 3000 B.C, and Marco Polo is credited with bringing chives to Europe from China.
Romanian Gypsies have used chives in fortune telling, and some people believe hanging bunches of dried chives in and around your home wards off disease and evil spirits.
Chives can be purchased as plants from garden centres, and with very little care except fot the occasional watering, will thrive and spread in any kind of soil. They can also be grown from bulb or from seed - I have no experience of growing frm bulbs, but heres a simple guide to growing them from seed .
Sow the seeds indoors using normal potting compost in small flowerpots at the beginning of march. Make sure the compost stays moist, but don;t over water them. It takes about a week to ten days for the first shoots to appear, and about 4-5 weeks for the plants to be ready for planting outside . Plant 10cm apart (do bear in mind chives tend to look after themselves and grow pretty well, you may need to spread them later if they like your garden) . Chives thrive in any kind of soil, and do well in either full or partial sun . Chives also repel insects, so are usually easy to keep disease free, but if you grow onions, try to plant the chives apart from them as they are susceptible to onion fly. They tend to flower in june - and can carry on flowering for ages!
Both the leaves and the flowers of the chive can be eaten, the flowers look amazing as an edible garnish on a salad, and the leaves add a subtle flavour to omelettes and other recipes . Below is my favourite omelette recipe for you to try .
Mushroom and Chive Omelette
Ingredients: 2 large eggs 50ml milk A generous pile of snipped fresh chives A pinch of dried rosemary 1 chopped spring onion A clove of garlic, finely chopped Chopped Mushrooms
Fry the garlic and mushrooms and fry until the mushrooms are just starting to soften. Add in the spring onions, and fry for a couple more minutes, then set to one side
Beat the eggs together with the milk, chives, and herbs, and pour into a hot non stickfrying pan. Scrape the mixture away from the sides as you cook, and move the mixture to make sure the bottom of the pan is evenly coated with the egg mixture. Cook until the egg mix is bubbling on top, then top one half of the omelette with the mushrooms. Fold the omelette over, and serve. If you like, you can add a little grated cheese too , its yummy!
Chives are a great herb - easy to look after, and with a mild flavour that enhances salads, dips, sauces, and all sorts. Try some fresh chives mixed with some soft cheese on a bagel !
I definately recommend having a bash at growing these too - they look so pretty in a garden, and really take very little care - a plant can cost as little as 1.49 from a garden centre, with a pack of seeds costing about the same .
Definately recommended.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Wonderful smell, taste and goes perfectly with tomatoes for a divine salad sensation! Disadvantages: It's an annual that likes a but of sun. And I live in The Dark North!!!
phoenixgreen 26.05.2007 (25.05.2007)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Basil
Are you the manufacturer / provider of Chives? Click here
very helpful by (100%):
