Chives — season, tips, and recipes in New Zealand
Chives is a herbs available in New Zealand during September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, peaking in October, November, December. This page is a practical guide for home cooks: when to buy chives, how to pick a good one, how to store it, what it goes well with, three original recipes, and detailed nutrition information.
The mildest member of the onion family. Easy to grow in a pot on the windowsill. The flowers are beautiful in salads.
How to pick a good one
Should be bright green and firm, not wilted or yellowing. Thicker chives have more flavour. The purple flowers are edible.
How to store it
Fridge in a damp paper towel for about a week. Snip with scissors rather than chopping.
Goes well with
egg: Chive's mild onion flavour is exactly the right intensity for egg -- assertive enough to notice, not enough to overpower. Used in omelettes, scrambled eggs, and egg salad across European and American cooking.
potato: Chives and potato is a reliable combination for the same reason as chives and egg: the mildness of the potato can carry the flavour without competition.
cream cheese: Cream cheese's mild richness and chive's fresh bite create a combination used on bagels, in dips, and in pastry. The fat carries the herb's flavour effectively.
sour cream: Sour cream's acidity and chive's onion flavour are used together on baked potatoes and in dips. The acid moderates the herb's sharpness.
Recipes
Chive Scrambled Eggs
Simple upgrade to scrambled eggs.
Ingredients: 4 eggs, 1 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp cream, handful chives (snipped), salt, pepper
Method: Beat eggs with cream. Scramble gently in butter over low heat. When almost set, fold in chives. Season.
Chive & Sour Cream Dip
For chips, crudités, everything.
Ingredients: 200ml sour cream, big handful chives (snipped), 1 clove garlic (minced), squeeze lemon, salt
Method: Mix everything. Chill 20 min for flavours to develop.
Baked Potatoes with Chives
The classic combination.
Ingredients: 4 potatoes, butter, sour cream, big handful chives (snipped), salt
Method: Bake potatoes at 200C for 1 hour until tender. Split, add butter and sour cream. Pile on chives. Salt.
Nutrition
One tablespoon provides 8% of your daily vitamin K. Contains allicin (same as garlic and onions) with antimicrobial properties. Rich in quercetin, an anti-inflammatory flavonoid. The purple flowers are edible and contain the same allicin. Low calorie and easy to add to almost any savoury dish.