One of the lovely things about summer is having a garden. It’s so much fun to look each day and see how much things are growing, what new flowers we have, and the progress of each vegetable. Now we have only a very small garden, though it’s just the right size for us to care for. I really get a kick out of walking just a few steps out the back door, picking what’s needed for a meal and taking it in to prepare and eat. You can’t get fresher food, and it’s just so handy!
In the Herb Garden
Here’s a photograph I made of my chives. They’re beautiful, tasty, and incredibly hardy. Even here in Illinois, with some of the deep freezes we have in winter, they always come back year after year. I have one pot of them growing in the sun and one in the shade. They both seem to grow equally well.
Their purple flowers are so pretty! Chives add great flavor to food. I add them to potatoes, scrambled eggs, soups, cottage cheese, and salads often.
If you need some recipe ideas, I got back 106 search results for “chives” at the wonderful site, Allrecipes.com. You can search for a particular dish, or by ingredients. The rating system they have is very helpful too. Often when giving a review, people post tips or changes that make the recipes even better. You can also set up your own recipe box there.
Growing chives (or garlic) near roses is a great idea because they emit an odor that discourages aphids. Their flowers also attract beneficial bees to the garden. They’re so easy to grow, you can grow them inside on your window sill if you like.
Buy them once and you’ll always have chives. You might want to plant them somewhere that they won’t get away from you though, and keep the blooms picked off so they won’t self seed. Mine escaped a bit. Now when we trim around the garden, onion scent fills the air! But, hey, it’s only for a little while! 😉
