The Almighty Onion

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Chives

We have a beautiful clump of chives growing in a flower bed near the kitchen door. Chives can be planted from seed or bulb (clump, actually). If you know someone who has a perennial garden with some herbs, visit them in the spring. If you spot the chives in their garden, remark, "Oh, those chives are lovely. I've always wanted to grow chives. Are they difficult?" Chances are, they will grab a trowel and dig up a clump for you right on the spot. Take the clump home and plant it in your herb or flower bed fairly close to the kitchen door. If you don't have any such bed, start one by digging up a little bit of lawn and planting the chives. Try to avoid mowing them, though even if you do, they will probably survive. You might want to cultivate around them but they will survive even if you let the grass grow right up to them. They are survivors. We have several clumps that were transplanted fifteen or so years ago as part of our market-garden expansion. They still come up every year, even though they have not been tended all those years. They are not expanding, though — given a break — they might.

Before I get too carried away with my casual approach, let me repeat one basic truth. All plants need to eat; they need nutrients. The Allium family is no exception. When you put in the clump of chives, you would do well to mix some nice compost into the soil. Give it plenty of water when you plant it, and keep the soil moist until the plant looks healthy. Since you have damaged the root system, it would be a good idea to cut back the leaf surface. Since cutting back the leaf surface is what you do when you harvest chives, you are in great shape. You can have a harvest on the very first day you plant this crop.

We harvest with a pair of scissors. Just grab as many leaves as are needed and snip off. Back in the kitchen, the scissors snip the chives into confetti over whatever dish they are adding flavor and color to.

When your clump has expanded to an attractive and healthy-looking size, you may want to dig part of it for an in-house pot. That way you can snip fresh chives all winter long as well. The outdoor plants will keep coming back every year without much attention.

Shallots

Shallots were not part of my growing-up diet either, but working in and around some fine restaurants over the years, I have learned that really fine chefs can wax rhapsodic over their subtle flavor. They are similar in appearance and texture to garlic but much less pungent. They are sometimes described as being between onion and garlic. They can be planted as seeds or sets at the same time as onions. Since they are smaller, they can be planted closer together. They are harvested similarly too.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print