Chives - New Ideas Needed

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by blissful

I must have done something wrong in drying them. What is your procedure? That would help me. Thank you.

I chop them in half inch pieces, put them in a paper lunch bag and fold it over. I basically forget them, except to shake the bag once a day, when I remember, in a week I jar the dried chives. It helps to live in a semi-arid region.

I do the same with all my herbs.

[kadesma]

Saute some in butter then add beaten eggs cut chives, add salt and lots of black pepper and make the best scrambled eggs ever. Love them with a piece of Italian bread toasted with butter. yum
kades

[blissful]

PF, I have dried many herbs in the paper bag method.....I don't know why my chives didn't work.

SO.....I went out and cut up about a cup of fresh chives, put them in a paper bag, to try this again. I'll let you know how it turns out. They smell so good right now.

It will be 75 degrees F today, and our humidity varies from 35-95%. Today it's 37% humidity.

[blissful]

Originally Posted by kadesma

Saute some in butter then add beaten eggs cut chives, add salt and lots of black pepper and make the best scrambled eggs ever. Love them with a piece of Italian bread toasted with butter. yum
kades

Kadesma, this is really good. I've also used the chive flowers in place of the green part of chives, with eggs......it's pretty and yummy.

[Dawgluver]

Originally Posted by blissful

Kadesma, this is really good. I've also used the chive flowers in place of the green part of chives, with eggs......it's pretty and yummy.

I love this too! Chives give a wonderful flavor!

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by blissful

PF, I have dried many herbs in the paper bag method.....I don't know why my chives didn't work.

SO.....I went out and cut up about a cup of fresh chives, put them in a paper bag, to try this again. I'll let you know how it turns out. They smell so good right now.

It will be 75 degrees F today, and our humidity varies from 35-95%. Today it's 37% humidity.

I think the faster they dry, the better they are, so humidity is a factor. I've never lived in a place with high humidity, so I tend to forget about it.

[kadesma]

Originally Posted by blissful

Kadesma, this is really good. I've also used the chive flowers in place of the green part of chives, with eggs......it's pretty and yummy.

I use the flowers in my eggs and love to put them in a salad. Walnut oil and a mild vinegar make a wonderful dressing for salad.
kades

[blissful]

Fiona, drying my chives didn't work for me. Thanks, though, for the encouragement. They look brown, like grass, and they smell like grass. Maybe it's the humidity, maybe it's me. I'm going to have to go back to using them fresh and freezing bunches in the fall to last through winter.

The top of the chive plant that I chopped off (about 2 inches from the base) is already sending up more new shoots 2 and 3 inches tall above where I cut them.

I still like the paper bag method of drying herbs through and I'll use it again when the rest of the herbs can be harvested. Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Dill (love this in dips in the winter), Sage.

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by blissful

Fiona, drying my chives didn't work for me. Thanks, though, for the encouragement. They look brown, like grass, and they smell like grass. Maybe it's the humidity, maybe it's me. I'm going to have to go back to using them fresh and freezing bunches in the fall to last through winter.

The top of the chive plant that I chopped off (about 2 inches from the base) is already sending up more new shoots 2 and 3 inches tall above where I cut them.

I still like the paper bag method of drying herbs through and I'll use it again when the rest of the herbs can be harvested. Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Dill (love this in dips in the winter), Sage.

I use the paper bag method for drying mushrooms, too. Too bad about the chives. I have to remember to mark the bags before I walk away, many times, one dried herb looks like another...

[kronlyn]

I was just reading about chives they said if you have to many dont dry it just looses to much flavor rather make a butter or just freeze the chives. also the chive flowers are excellant as well they look nice and have a nice onion flavor as well.