Chives are one of the herbs that simply taste best fresh. Nevertheless, from time to time it becomes necessary to keep large quantities in stock. Unlike many other kitchen herbs, however, chives cannot be dried. Its characteristic aroma and the vitamins it contains are retained only when frozen.
harvest chives
If you only want to use the tender, green stalks of the chives, you should harvest them before they bloom. Flower-bearing culms become hard and very firm, and they also lose their aroma and take on a bitter taste instead. For this reason, you should regularly cut down the stalks of chives to prevent the plant from flowering. In this case, you can finally harvest chives all year round. However, both the flowers and the buds of the chives are edible - give it a try!
Prepare chives
First of all, sort the cut stalks of chives: Only use those that look crisp green and healthy, while you should sort out wilted stalks. Now wash the straws thoroughly under running water and then pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel. Then cut the stalks into ready-to-use rolls with sharp kitchen or herb scissors. By the way, freezing whole stalks is not recommended, because they can no longer be cut after thawing.
Freeze chives
Now the prepared chives can be frozen, for which several methods are available.
1. Fill large quantities of the rolls into a sealable container or a freezer bag. Provided they are not damp, the chives remain fluffy even when frozen, so that you can easily remove the quantities you need.
2. Instead, the chives can also be frozen in portions: Fill the desired amount into the individual compartments of an ice cube tray or similar small containers. For better stability, you can fill up the herbs with water or a good vegetable oil (e.g. for a later salad dressing).
3. Depending on your personal taste, you can also put together a herb mixture (possibly even with chopped onions and/or garlic) and freeze it. So you have a ready-made mixture at hand when cooking - for example for sauces or soups.
4. Prepare a chive butter and freeze it in portions - wonderful with a juicy piece of steak from the pan or from the grill.
Frozen chive rolls should be used up within six months if possible - after that they lose a lot of their taste. Incidentally, the aromatic flowers can also be frozen in the same way as described, only the buds should be inserted.
tips and tricks
Frozen chives should not be thawed before use, as this will burst the cell walls and the rolls will eventually become mushy and tasteless.
IJA
The garden journal freshness ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?
The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:
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