Chive Flowers

[danpeikes]

I have a small window box of herbs. My chives have started to flower with nice little purple flowers. Are they edible and how do they taste? I think they would be a great plate garnish.

 

[GB]

Yep they are edible. My daughter loved picking them last year and eating as many as she could.

 

[Chicks]

They are wonderful stuffed in a jar then fill with white vinegar, cover and let sit 2-4 weeks. Strain and use in salad dressings. It makes the prettiest pink vinegar.
C

 

[kadesma]

I have a small window box of herbs. My chives have started to flower with nice little purple flowers. Are they edible and how do they taste? I think they would be a great plate garnish.

I've used them to decorate tray's of food, gather a few and tie with a narrow ribbon place on your tray. I also cut them into salads, baked potatoes, scalloped potatoes..I find the flowers tasty and lovely to eat.
kadesma

 

[oneoffour]

I think I may have a different strain of chives. The blooms when at full petal stage if just eaten raw off the plant are harsh like wild garlic. I was ready to spit out the flower head before it was half chewed. Even as the flowers are harsh the stems are great for the classic chive flavor. I have had the clump growing outside in a 5 gallon pail for 6 years. Used straight sand and a drain hole in the bottom. Did the pail since the bed was always getting over run with an aggressive grass that was hard to weed out without ripping up chives.

 

[kadesma]

I think I may have a different strain of chives. The blooms when at full petal stage if just eaten raw off the plant are harsh like wild garlic. I was ready to spit out the flower head before it was half chewed. Even as the flowers are harsh the stems are great for the classic chive flavor. I have had the clump growing outside in a 5 gallon pail for 6 years. Used straight sand and a drain hole in the bottom. Did the pail since the bed was always getting over run with an aggressive grass that was hard to weed out without ripping up chives.

There are more than one variety of chives..There are your regular chives, and there is a garlic chive and one called an onion chive which for the life of me is odd. Chives to me have a mild onion flavor..I do think they are strong for some of us and to others very mild..It's all in what we find pleasant to eat.I find a slight garlicy flavor to chives after they bloom, before they bloom they are mild.
kadesma

 

[Claire]

I like to throw them in a salad for color. Don't find them (that is to say the flowers) to have that much of a flavor. But they are pretty and fun. Here the regular chives have purple flowers that come up right now, and the "garlic" chives have white flowers that come up towards the end of the summer. I don't use the latter much because I am trying to get rid of them. They don't seem to have that much flavor, and they attract a huge number of bees, and my husband almost died from bee stings a few years ago.

 

[ChefJune]

I have a small window box of herbs. My chives have started to flower with nice little purple flowers. Are they edible and how do they taste? I think they would be a great plate garnish.

they are definitely edible. and garlic chives have white flowers! I enjoy using them in salads all summer long.

 

[jenelia]

Flowers and leaves of both chives and garlic chives may be eaten, as may the bulbs of garlic ... Eat garlic chives flower buds as you would those of chives.
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[ChefJune]

mmmmm used some of those tasty purple buds along with the chives in an omelet Sunday. Very good!