Chives can grow in abundance during the summer, so what do you do with all of them? Here are some delicious ways to utilize this tasty perennial plant.
How to Use Chives
You may enjoy the flavor of chives on your baked potato, but perhaps you haven’t explored this versatile herb much further beyond that. Chives are a wonderful, savory herb used in the kitchen in various dishes, in the yard for visual appeal, and even in the home as a pest repellent.
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There are many ways to use chives, including more than just sprinkling them on baked potatoes. This post has some ideas to use this versatile plant that may surprise and impress you.
Where to Find Chives
Chive plants can be found at your local gardening center or farmer’s markets for just a few dollars per plant. Or, you can choose to grow your own from seed. Grow it indoors in a window sill garden for all-year use, or plant in your gardens and flower beds to harvest during summer. Either way, you will indeed find plenty of practical uses for it. Take a look!
20 Ways to Use Chives
1. Add some interest to gardens and flower beds.
Just because chives are an herb doesn’t mean they can’t be decorative. Plant chives in your gardens and flower beds and enjoy their beautiful purple blooms. It is a great way to add a pop of color to your landscaping while enjoying a plant with other practical uses, too!
2. Use as a natural pest repellent.
Pesky aphids hate chives, so plant chives next to plants and vegetables that aphids tend to feed on. This is a great way to protect those plants without using chemical-filled products that can harm pets and kids.
Tip: Find more pest repellent plants in this article: Natural Mosquito Control
3. Prevent erosion of your soil.
This is a brilliant tip! Chives have very dense roots. Because of this, they help strengthen your soil and keep it in place. Who knew? Plant some chives wherever soil erosion seems to be a problem. Over time, it will come back stronger and thicker, protecting your soil.
4. Banish plant mildew.
Mildew can harm your plants and ruin all of your hard work. Instead, create a concoction of chopped chive leaves and water. Boil the mixture over the stove for several minutes, and place it in a spray bottle when cool. Spray plants to protect them from mildew.
5. Fancy up your fish.
Chives pair well with fish dishes. Season your fish with a sprinkling of chives or marinate before cooking in a mixture of chives and olive oil. So tasty and healthy! Chives are usually great when added to seafood in general.
6. Give your bread a boost.
Add chives to butter or cream cheese and stir well. Spread on bagels, toast, crackers, and other bread to give them a kick of natural onion flavor. These spreads are perfect for taking on picnics.
7. Add a pop of color to salads.
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The purple bloom of the chive plant is edible, so pop them off the plant and add them to your salads. It gives a beautiful pop of purple and adds a subtle onion flavor. It works great in many pasta salads as well. Pretty and tasty!
8. Spice up salad dressings.
Adding chive flowers to plain white vinegar will add some flavor and turn the liquid into a soft lilac color. This makes it perfect for serving at weddings, baby showers, special brunches, or when you want to feel a little fancy.
9. Add to ice cubes.
You can add chives to ice cubes to fancy up mixed drinks. Some people even like the flavor of chives in beverages. Get creative and try experimenting with chives in your beverages!
10. Make egg-cellent eggs.
Boost the flavor at brunch when you sprinkle chopped chives on your scrambled eggs or add them to your omelets.
If you want to whip up some excellent eggs, why not try Chive Infused Deviled Eggs? This tasty treat is the perfect dish for a summer picnic or potluck! Take a look below for the easy recipe.
11. Make chive blossom vinegar.
If you thought chive blossoms are just pretty to look at and have no other use, think again! You can make your own healthier AND prettier vinegar using these lavender blossoms. It’s a simple process similar to pickling. Here’s how to make this beautiful herbal infusion vinegar:
- Wash a handful of chive blossoms in a bowl of cold water to remove any dirt. Tip: Don’t include the stems.
- Drain them in a colander.
- Heat up a cup (or two) of vinegar in a small saucepan. You can use any vinegar you want, but the best ones are white wine, apple cider, and white balsamic vinegar. Let it simmer.
- Transfer the blossoms to a canning jar. Don’t fill the jar to the brim; leave a couple of inches at the top.
- Pour the warm vinegar over the blossoms until they are submerged in vinegar. Stir and press down the flowers.
- Let it cool down before putting the lid on the jar.
- It’s time to let it soak and infuse! Place it in a cool, dry place for one to two weeks, occasionally tipping or shaking the jar to soak all the blossoms properly.
- After 1-2 weeks, strain the blossoms using a colander and transfer your pretty pinkish vinegar into a clean mason jar.
12. Use chives as a garnish.
This is the simplest and easiest way to use chives. If you haven’t tried this yet, give it a go, I promise it’ll change your life! From potato salads and eggs to soups and bread – chives won’t just add a pop of color to any dish; these will enhance those flavors, too!
13. Make compound butter (chive butter).
Want some DIY butter? Chive butter is a beautiful way to incorporate this excellent herb into practically any dish – toast, fish, meat, vegetables, and more! You only need 2-3 ingredients, and it will take about five minutes to make this recipe. Here’s how:
- Soften your butter. It should be room temperature, so it’s easier to work with. You may use salted or unsalted butter.
- Chop your chives as finely as possible.
- Stir in your chopped chives with your butter. Add a bit of salt if you use unsalted butter.
- Mix well until the chives are incorporated into the butter.
Tip: If you want to make a bigger batch of chive butter, simply roll them into balls, place them on wax paper and inside resealable plastic bags, and store them in the freezer.
14. Add chives to biscuits.
If you’re looking for ways to take your homemade biscuits to the next level, try adding chives! Follow your favorite biscuit recipe, mix all the dry and wet ingredients, and add the chopped chives. This will add that extra flavor to those warm, savory biscuits!
15. Make a chive dip.
Adding chives into dips is just one of those things that make sense. And what’s the best type of dip to add chives into? Sour and cream! Here’s a quick 4-ingredient sour and cream chive dip that you can make in an instant:
- Chop your chives as finely as possible.
- Mix it with your choice of sour cream and mayonnaise.
- Season it according to your preference using sea salt.
- For best results, keep it in the fridge and prepare it a day before using it.
16. Add chive to specific soups.
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Add some chopped chives to elevate the flavor of your favorite soup! Some of my favorite soups to add chives to are potato soup, tofu soup, mushroom soup, pumpkin soup, and egg drop soup.
17. Make a sauce with chives.
Creating your sauce is a great way to experiment with various flavors and level up your dishes. Try making a simple lemon chive sauce – perfect for poached or baked fish, grilled meat, and roasted vegetables.
All you need to do is melt unsalted butter and add finely chopped chives, freshly squeezed lemon, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. If you want a dipping sauce, a creamy chive sauce is excellent for charcuterie boards, fried potatoes, smoked fish, and wraps. You can use creme fraiche, Greek yogurt, ricotta, or sour cream for this sauce.
18. Make chive pesto.
Making your pesto is fantastic, but what do you do when you run out of basil? Fresh chives to the rescue! Did you know you can use chives and parsley instead of basil to make pesto? Here’s how:
- Put roughly chopped chives into a food processor and process until finely chopped.
- Add some slivered almonds, grated parmesan cheese, and one clove of garlic (roughly chopped).
- Process all of the ingredients together until finely chopped and mixed well.
- While processing your pesto, slowly add olive oil until it reaches the desired consistency.
19. Add chives to potato salad.
With just a handful of ingredients and fresh chives, you can make the best potato salad instantly. Simply blend chives, olive oil, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper until it has the consistency of a puree. Add the chive puree to your boiled potatoes (cut into quarters) and mix well.
20. Make some savory Korean chive pancakes.
Savory pancakes are delectable appetizers or snacks and don’t take long to make! Just follow your own pancake recipe, but add some chives, carrots, spinach, and any vegetable of your choice to your batter.
Korean chive pancakes are best partnered with a dipping sauce (mix equal parts soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, and a bit of sugar).
See how many uses there are for chives? Adding them to many of your daily recipes and dishes is so easy. Give some of these uses for chives a try and see how fun and frugal this herb can be!
More Uses for Herbs
- Uses for Mint
- Uses for Cilantro
- Herbs
If you’d like to learn more about how to grow chives and other herbs, check out this article on How to Grow an Herb Garden.
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What are some of your special uses for chives? Do you have a favorite dish you add them in?
This post on 20 Uses for Chives was originally published on Little House Living in July 2013. It has been updated as of October 2023.
Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Garden news
