divaqs's Blog

Chives – Edible Flowers
May 16, 2007 | 4:17 PM PST
Tags: chives , Allium schoenoprasum , edible , flower

I think most people think of spices and cooking when thinking of chives, which are truly important things with this wonderful herb, though I’ve found it to also be a really attractive flower and plant in my landscaping.

This is a picture I took, just a couple of days ago.

 

In April and May, my chive plants blossom in a showy display of purple bulbous blossoms.

Later in the summer the flowers turn into a bulbous whitish grey cluster of seeds. I used to have just one chive plant in the location of the picture, but I’ve allowed my chives to seed new plants around it, forming clusters of plants.

For much of the rest of the year, my chives look kind of like tufts of decorative grass. 

I use fresh diced chives all the time in my cooking as an onion substitute, for things like sandwiches, roasts, soups, mixed with steamed or fried vegetables, and so on. I’ve tried using the edible flowers in cooking, but found the flavor to be a little bit too strong of an onion flavor for my taste.  If you like a stronger flavor of onion, there is a good chance you would like the flavor of the flowers. 

I’ve read that chives lose very little of their flavor when frozen or dried, but I really haven’t had to worry about that since for about 10 months of the year I can get fresh chives right out of my yard. 

Chives make for a great companion plant. Like onions, they repel a variety of unwanted pests, while still attracting bees. For this reason chives are now planted in amongst my front yard planting areas, my herb beds, and my garden beds. 

 

As a medicinal herb, Wikipedia claims that: 

“The medical properties of chives are similar to those of garlic, but weaker; the faint effects in comparison with garlic are probably the main reason for its limited use as a medicinal herb. Containing numerous organisulplide compounds such as allyl sulfides and alkyl sulfoxides, chives have a beneficial effect on the circulatory system, acting upon it by lowering the blood pressure. As chives are usually served in small amounts and never as the main dish, negative effects are rarely encountered, although digestive problems may occur following over-consumption.

Chives are also rich in vitamins A and C, and contain trace amounts of sulfur and iron.”