Chives

dsboohead
dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
edited November 22 in Recipes
Is chives the tops of green onions? I do like them but are they something different?

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited November 2017
    dsboohead wrote: »
    Is chives the tops of green onions? I do like them but are they something different?

    They are not the same thing. Chives are an herb...scallions are an onion...so the green parts are just part of the onion...they aren't an herb. They are often used in similar ways, but they both have a distinct taste on their own. Chives are much thinner and delicate than the tops of scallions.
  • Sunnybrooke99
    Sunnybrooke99 Posts: 369 Member
    dsboohead wrote: »
    Is chives the tops of green onions? I do like them but are they something different?

    They are something different. They are a bushy little allium type plant. The chive part is like the leaves. The green part of a green onion is often substituted bc they are less expensive and also have a light onion flavor.
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    Okay....its an herb! Do they come dried too where the spices are? They would keep better this way....yes???
  • Sunnybrooke99
    Sunnybrooke99 Posts: 369 Member
    dsboohead wrote: »
    Okay....its an herb! Do they come dried too where the spices are? They would keep better this way....yes???

    Chives can be found dried, feeeze dried, or fresh. They are hardly little perennial plants in a garden, and they are very cute with little purple puff ball looking flowers. Unless you live somewhere very cold, you can harvest a little year round.
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    dsboohead wrote: »
    Okay....its an herb! Do they come dried too where the spices are? They would keep better this way....yes???

    Chives can be found dried, feeeze dried, or fresh. They are hardly little perennial plants in a garden, and they are very cute with little purple puff ball looking flowers. Unless you live somewhere very cold, you can harvest a little year round.

    Good....like chives but wasnt sure what it was. Want to try it in cottage cheese!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Considering they are such hardy growers I suggest you get a pot for your windowsill. They will get stringy indoors but you can set them outside in the summer.
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    Considering they are such hardy growers I suggest you get a pot for your windowsill. They will get stringy indoors but you can set them outside in the summer.

    Will do....fresh is so much better!
  • Sunnybrooke99
    Sunnybrooke99 Posts: 369 Member
    Order a plant, if you can. They take a long time from seed to get big enough to harvest much.
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    Order a plant, if you can. They take a long time from seed to get big enough to harvest much.

    Home depot maybe?
  • Sunnybrooke99
    Sunnybrooke99 Posts: 369 Member
    dsboohead wrote: »
    Order a plant, if you can. They take a long time from seed to get big enough to harvest much.

    Home depot maybe?

    Maybe. I’d try online this time of the year. They are all over the place in the spring tho.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I’m a patient woman. And frugal. My bed of chives got buried by the landscapers this past summer so I will be starting over with seeds.

    Once they are established chives last forever.

    Unless they get buried by your landscaper.
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    Bought a pak of fresh chives in the produce section of walmart. Pulled out a stem and ate it. I still have the lingering taste of chives in my mouth. Yeah!!! It was only $1.58.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I went shopping yesterday too. In eighty days I will have fresh chives forever.
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    I went shopping yesterday too. In eighty days I will have fresh chives forever.

    Yum....its got to be related to the green onion but better!
  • BrianAWeber
    BrianAWeber Posts: 82 Member
    Green onions have a stronger flavor than chives.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    Order a plant, if you can. They take a long time from seed to get big enough to harvest much.

    No need to order a plant. Just plant the ones that you buy from the supermarket (you can even plant them after you've used the tops). We started our chives & green onions this way three years ago and now we have a raised box full every year. They keep coming back!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    dsboohead wrote: »
    jgnatca wrote: »
    I went shopping yesterday too. In eighty days I will have fresh chives forever.

    Yum....its got to be related to the green onion but better!

    Yes, they're related. They're both alliums.
  • Sunnybrooke99
    Sunnybrooke99 Posts: 369 Member
    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Order a plant, if you can. They take a long time from seed to get big enough to harvest much.

    No need to order a plant. Just plant the ones that you buy from the supermarket (you can even plant them after you've used the tops). We started our chives & green onions this way three years ago and now we have a raised box full every year. They keep coming back!

    Great idea, if you can get the planted ones!
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Order a plant, if you can. They take a long time from seed to get big enough to harvest much.

    No need to order a plant. Just plant the ones that you buy from the supermarket (you can even plant them after you've used the tops). We started our chives & green onions this way three years ago and now we have a raised box full every year. They keep coming back!

    Great idea, if you can get the planted ones!

    True...you do need to get the ones with the roots still attached. Not usually a problem with green onions since that's how they're normally sold but chives can be a little tough to find in the normal market that way. We got lucky, though there are a ton of nurseries and farmers markets in our area where we could have picked up a couple of planted chives and simply transferred them to our garden.
  • FattieBabs
    FattieBabs Posts: 542 Member
    I love chives and plant out the supermarket ones and they grow fine in large pots. I love them snipped into omelettes and scrambled ehhs
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,272 Member
    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Order a plant, if you can. They take a long time from seed to get big enough to harvest much.

    No need to order a plant. Just plant the ones that you buy from the supermarket (you can even plant them after you've used the tops). We started our chives & green onions this way three years ago and now we have a raised box full every year. They keep coming back!

    interesting. i tried the "regrow scallions in water" trick. worked well, but got flavorless after a couple of trimmings, plus i started to worry about salmonella from the water (in the same manner as standing water and fresh sprouts). should've just planted them as nature intended, lol.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    I keep a jar of freeze-dried chives in my pantry, but you don't use them up in a few months they lose their flavor. The freeze-dried version is fairly expensive so growing your own is a great option.
  • Imnotreal696
    Imnotreal696 Posts: 3 Member
    I've lived in two different areas of Virginia and in both cases we had basically chives growing in our lawn.
    Some people called them wild onions but if you pulled up a plant there would be hardly any bulb in the root.
    They would tend to grow faster than the grass so the lawn would have tufts of taller round green stems all over it.
    Mowing the lawn resulted in a mouth watering scent.
    Be aware of any chemicals that you apply to your lawn might not be good for you.

    Along the same line (food sources in your lawn) are you aware that puff balls (fungi) are quite tasty if you harvest them right after they appear? Slice one and it will be solid white flesh that cooks up nice anywhere mushrooms can be used.
  • beaglady
    beaglady Posts: 1,362 Member
    I've lived in two different areas of Virginia and in both cases we had basically chives growing in our lawn.
    Some people called them wild onions but if you pulled up a plant there would be hardly any bulb in the root.
    They would tend to grow faster than the grass so the lawn would have tufts of taller round green stems all over it.
    Mowing the lawn resulted in a mouth watering scent.
    Be aware of any chemicals that you apply to your lawn might not be good for you.

    I've picked bunches of these, chopped them and stuck them in the freezer in a ziplock bag. By giving the bag a smack on the counter to loosen them up, you can sprinkle the amount you want.

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