In the farthest corner of my garden sits three sets of garlic chives, and how wonderful they are! However, since they pop up so early in the spring, I tend to forget about them once the other perennials start arriving or become even more so forgotten when it's time to plant the annual vegetables. "Rhubarb! Welcome back!" I gasp, and hop-skip over to see the huge green leaves and juicy red stems. "Raspberries! Oh, how I've missed you!" It goes on like this until my dear garlic chives sit, plump and lusciously green, squeaking and reaching for my attention, only to have me pass them by.
Not this year! No sir, this year my darling garlic chives (simply chives that have a garlic flavor...amazing!) become my culinary concentration as I carefully harvested them to be stored in my freezer. You may also follow these steps for other like herbs which have a thicker stem, leaf, or bulb. These include basil, borage, chives, dill (better frozen than dried), lemongrass, mint, oregano, sage, savory (both winter and summer), sorrel (better than dried), sweet woodruff, tarragon, and thyme. Do note that some herbs (such as cilantro, fennel, and parsley) fare better to be dried and stored in glass rather than frozen.
Step 1: Choose mature, healthy pieces to cut/harvest.
Step 2: Wash in cold water. Remove any grass pieces or damaged/browning ends
Step 3: Cut into desired pieces. For chives I chose 1/2 in cuts.Step 4: Pat dry, spread onto cookie sheet. Freeze for 10-15 minutes.
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Step 5: Store in freezer containers/bags. For chives, I chose to put 1 cup into each baggie.
Enjoy during your next soup, stew, or other culinary masterpiece! Isn't it great knowing exactly where you food came from, let alone the pride in the knowledge of your work? Happy Healthing!
So, dear Maggie, tell me how you know your Chives are ready to harvest and how much at a time do you harvest from the plant?
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry it took me so long to reply to this comment! My notifications for comments awaiting moderation have been going to my junk mail folder without me knowing!!!
DeleteTo answer your questions, chives are a very versatile herb and can actually be harvested anytime during the growing season. The rule is if they're green, they can be used.
As for how much to harvest, that depends on how much you want to use or freeze at a time! I harvest two or three big handfuls at a time to get the amount you see above, but the amount is up to you. For cooking, most recipes of egg, chicken, or Chinese dishes call for about 1/4 cup at a time. :-)