Chives garlic recipes: How do I use the herb?

2024 Author: Leonars Benson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 16:46

Read a commented chive garlic profile here with information on growth, leaves, flowers, winter hardiness and use. Practically tested instructions explain how to sow, plant and care for garlic chives correctly.

What is chive garlic and how does it grow?

Cut garlic (Allium tuberosum) is a perennial, hardy plant that is used both as a herb and as an ornamental plant. It grows 25-80 cm tall, has grass-like, lanceolate leaves and produces edible, umbel-like flowers. It thrives best in sunny to partially shaded locations and prefers nutrient-rich, well-drained soil without waterlogging.

Profile

Scientific name: Allium tuberosum
Family: Allium family (Allioideae)
Genus: Leek (Allium)
Synonyms: garlic chives, garlic chives, Chinese chives
Origin: China
Growth type: herbaceous plant
Growth height: 25 cm to 80 cm
Leaves: stalks
Flowers: umbellate inflorescences
Roots: bulbs on short rhizomes
Winter hardiness: hardy, perennial
Use: herb, ornamental plant, natural medicinal plant

Growth

What is chive garlic? In short, the answer is: Allium tuberosum is a herb that grows like chives (Allium schoenoprasum) and tastes like garlic (Allium sativum). In contrast to real garlic, eating garlic chives does not leave an obtrusive breath smell. The following key growth data explain why the Asian leek plant is being cultivated more and more frequently in our gardens:

Growth form: herbaceous, clumpy-upright, arching overhanging stalks and spherical inflorescences on wiry stems.
Height: 25 cm to 80 cm, rarely higher.
Growth type: Perennial (grows its leaves outdoors after the first frost).
Special feature: in the pot on the windowsill, chives do not shrink and can be harvested all year round.
Roots: cylindrical, 10 mm large bulbs on short rhizomes (flat roots).
Eating quality: all parts of the plant are edible, he althy and tasty.

Video: Chives and wild garlic - two herbal treasures for a spicy garlic aroma without unpleasant odors

leaves

Knolau leaves cannot deny the close botanical relationship with chives. You can easily recognize the foliage of chive garlic by these features:

Leaf shape: flat stalks, lanceolate, grass-like, 1.5 mm to 8 mm wide.
Leaf color: deep green
Leaf properties: edible, appetizing smell and taste of garlic.

There are a lot of good things in the stalks of garlic chives. The he althy ingredients include a high proportion of vitamin C, protein and fiber with a slim 26 calories per 100 grams of freshly harvested leaves. As herb lovers already know from the garlic (Allium sativum) and wild garlic (Allium ursinum) plants, chives also contain the active ingredient allicin for the benefit of a stable immune system.

Flowers

Young Allium tuberosum plants usually bloom in their second year. As the flowering season begins, chives become a feast for the senses. Of all leek species, Knolau thrives with the most delicate and tasty flowers, which exude a seductive floral scent. These characteristics characterize Chinese chives:

Inflorescence: spherical, 7-8 cm large umbel with numerous, star-shaped individual flowers.
Flower colors: white, pastel pink, violet
Flower properties: edible, delicate scent of violets or roses.
Flowering time: July to October
Pollination: Insects, mainly bees.

The flower buds are also suitable for consumption, either raw or cooked. In the bee-friendly garden, hobby gardeners forgo the budding pleasure so that numerous flowers can develop for the benefit of bumblebees, wild bees, honey bees and butterflies.

Winter hardiness

Cut garlic is attested to have a winter hardiness of up to -30° Celsius. In the open field, the herb pulls in its above-ground stalks after the first frost. The tubers overwinter in the ground as frost-hardy survival organs. The stalks will sprout fresh just in time for the beginning of next spring.

Usage

In Asia, chive garlic has been cultivated for centuries as a herb, vegetable and medicinal plant. For several years now, Knolau cultivation has been gaining in importance in German gardens thanks to its diverse uses:

Garden	Balcony, terrace	Herb	Lukullus tips	Medicinal plant (effect)
Herbal spiral	potted plant	Salad	fresh leaves, buds, flowers in yogurt dressing	digestive
Bed border	Balcony box	Herb quark	stir in chopped leaves	appetizing
Bee Pasture	Herbal stairs	Egg dish	Sweat the leaves in good butter	antibacterial
Outdoor greening	Mosquito repellent	Vegetables	Blanching leaves and roots	cholesterol lowering
Cottage Garden	Roof terrace	Sushi	Arrange flowers as edible decoration	anti-inflammatory
Mixed Culture	fragrant plant	Soup	Let the leaves and onions cook in water	blood pressure regulating

Planting chives

In spring you can buy ready-to-plant chives in nurseries, garden centers and supermarkets. For inexpensive garlic cultivation with a green, fun factor, hobby gardeners prefer sowing. How and where to properly plant garlic chives can be found here:

Advance

By growing chives on the windowsill, you can give young plants a considerable head start in growth. The best time is from the beginning of March. Using {Quelltöpfchen} (€12.00 at Amazon) as a medium for sowing saves you and the seedlings from tricky pricking out. The following short instructions explain how to sow the seeds correctly:

{Swelling pot} (€12.00 on Amazon) place in a waterproof bowl, pour water over it and let it swell.
Sow 2-3 chive garlic seeds per {spring pot} (€12.00 at Amazon), cover thinly with substrate and press down.
Keep constantly moist without waterlogging on the bright, warm windowsill under a transparent hood.
Germination time is between 15 and 21 days at 18° to 25° Celsius.

Location

Chinese chives grow lush, aromatic, full of flowers and perennial in this location:

In sunny to partially shaded locations.
Normal garden soil, preferably nutrient-rich, fresh, permeable and without the threat of waterlogging.
Extra tip: Optimize clay soil with sand and compost soil.
Favorable planting neighbors in mixed culture: dill, carrots, parsley, tomatoes.
Unfavorable planting neighbors: leeks, new potatoes, beans, peas, cabbage.

Direct sowing

At the beginning of April, the time window opens for direct sowing of Knolau seeds outdoors. You can sow chives until August. Prepare a fine, crumbly seedbed for the seeds. Sow the seeds either widely or in rows 25 centimeters apart. Cover the light germinators 0.5 to 1.0 centimeters with soil. To ensure a good soil connection, press the seeds with a lawn roller or a wooden board. Last but not least, pour with a fine spray.

Plants – tips for beds and pots

Planting time for purchased or hand-grown chives is from April to August. These practical planting tips explain how to master the planting skillfully:

Put the root balls in water before planting.
Unpot container plants, plant seedlings from your own cultivation together with {spring pots} (€12.00 on Amazon).
A planting hole is twice as big as the root ball.
Enrich the excavated material in the bed by a third with compost and horn shavings.
Planting distance: 25 cm to 30 cm.
Plant garlic chives in a pot over a drainage made of expanded clay or pottery shards.
Maintain the previous planting depth, in the pot with a 1-2 cm high watering edge.

A good eye is required when weeding regularly. Chives are also called garlic grass for a reason. Cotyledons and sprouting stalks can easily be confused with unwanted grasses.

Harvesting garlic

The harvest time for chives extends from spring until well into autumn. When grown in pots under glass, you can harvest the aromatic leaves all year round. The stalks are harvested for the first time when they are at least 15 centimeters tall. Cut the stalks like chives one to two finger widths above the ground. A sharp knife or herb scissors are suitable as cutting tools. The more leaf mass you cut off, the stronger the herb will sprout again.

Cut Garlic Recipes

Preparation and preservation of chives go hand in hand with these simple recipes:

Recipe idea with straws: puree 140 g straws with 20 g s alt and fill into a screw-top jar.
Use: suitable for herb butter and as a garlic alternative when flavoring and seasoning savory dishes.
Recipe idea with flowers: Cut 8 garlic flowers into small pieces, stir into 200 g butter at room temperature, season with s alt and pepper.
Use: delicious as a spread for carefree enjoyment that leaves no smell of garlic.

Excursus

Strawberries and chives – dream team in the vegetable garden

In strawberry cultivation, pests and diseases have a bad chance when chives are present. As hobby gardeners with experience in mixed strawberry cultivation report, garlic keeps voracious snails at bay. Chives have a defensive effect against all kinds of fungal spores. Garlic chives fulfill these protective functions in one fell swoop, so that more space is available in the bed for strawberry plants.

Care for chive garlic

Cut garlic is easy to care for. Uniform soil moisture in a weed-free environment ensures magnificent growth and regular harvest yields. In our latitudes, the herb is often cultivated for several years because overwintering and propagation are easy to manage. Read these care tips for a premium quality garlic harvest.

Pouring

When Knolau plants bloom, water consumption increases significantly. A sufficient water supply during the summer months is mandatory. Let normal tap water run directly onto the dry soil, because damp stalks are vulnerable to mildew and other fungal infections. Please use the amount of water sparingly so that no waterlogging can form.

Fertilize

No additional fertilization is required in nutrient-rich garden soil. If you are growing chives in pots, apply a liquid herbal fertilizer monthly according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Wintering

After the first frost, chives pull in their stalks. Cut off the dead greenery at ground level with a perennial sickle. In harsh winter locations, you should cover the root disc with leaves and spruce branches to protect against the bitter cold and winter waterlogging. In pots and flower boxes, Knolau overwinteres under glass in a bright location at 12° to 18° Celsius, comparable to basil. Economical watering and occasional fertilizing will help Chinese chives stay safe through the dark season.

Propagate

The easiest way to propagate garlic is by division. The best time is in spring after the last heavy frosts. The following short instructions explain the correct procedure step by step:

Dig up the chives.
Use both hands to pull the root ball apart into several separate segments.
Remove rotten, damaged and rotten tubers including roots.
Plant each section in nutrient-rich soil at the new location, maintaining the previous planting depth.
Press soil and water.

Pests

The onion fly is the most common pest in the cultivation of allium plants, such as chives, garlic, leeks and chives. The insect looks very similar to a housefly, but it causes significantly more damage. At the beginning of May, overwintered females lay their eggs directly on the young Knolau plants. After a week, 10 mm long maggots hatch and eat their way through the tender bulbs and stalks. Shortly after emergence, affected young plants die and can easily be pulled out of the ground. How to fight the onion fly without poison:

Prevention: Grow Knolau on the windowsill, cover the bed completely with cultural protection net.
Encourage predators: Attract parasitic wasps, ground beetles and other beneficial insects.
Organic sprays: Spray the chive garlic bed weekly with tansy tea or wormwood decoction.

Popular varieties

In addition to the white-flowering natural form Allium tuberosum, these beautiful varieties can be discovered in specialist shops:

Kobold: popular, compact variety for beds and herb pots, with white flowers and 40-60 cm long stalks.
Monstrosum: Giant cut garlic, ideal for outdoors and balcony pots, white flowers, up to 80 cm tall.
Neko: beautiful variety with purple spherical flowers, perennial, mild garlic taste, height 25 cm to 30 cm.
Buzzy: robust variety with 40 cm high stalks, suitable for growing indoors and outdoors.
Fat Leaf: decorative garlic variety with particularly wide, 70 cm large stalks, hardy and perennial in herb beds.

FAQ

How can you preserve chives?

Chive garlic tastes best when freshly harvested. Cut stalks stay crisp, fresh and aromatic in a glass of water for up to four days. Please change the water daily. You can preserve garlic for a longer period of time by cutting the freshly harvested stalks into 2 cm long pieces and freezing them. If you are willing to accept a significant loss of flavor, you can dry garlic chives.

Can you buy chives as an onion?

With a diameter of less than 1 centimeter, Knolau onions are only poorly developed. For this reason, it is not common to sell garlic chives as bulb plants. You can either buy chives as a potted plant or certified seeds.

What is the easiest way to propagate garlic?

Garlic chives grow in clumps and become up to 30 centimeters wide over the years. With this growth, the leek plant is perfect for propagation by division. Pull the excavated root ball apart with both hands so that several separate sections are created. A piece of bale suitable for propagation has at least three to five bulblets on short roots. At the new location, plant each section in nutrient-rich, fresh soil and water with a fine spray.

Is chives hardy?

Cut garlic is a perennial, hardy herb with the growth of a perennial. In the field, the above-ground stalks die off after the first frost. The root ball is frost-resistant down to -30° Celsius and overwinters in the garden soil as a survival organ. Next spring, fresh green stalks sprout from the numerous small tubers.