Storing and Preserving Techniques

Since chives are primarily used fresh, the best way to enjoy them year-round is to keep a pot on your windowsill. Of course, chives can also be dried or frozen for later use.

Short-Term Fresh Storage

A freshly cut bunch of chives, especially if cut to include blossoms, makes a simple, rustic floral arrangement that secretly doubles as a condiment. Chives kept in a glass or vase of fresh water will stay fresh and flavorful for over a week.

For longer storage, wrap the base of the bunch of chives in a paper towel and wet thoroughly. Place the bundle in a plastic bag and lightly twist shut the top. You don’t want to close the bag completely, because some air circulation helps the chives stay fresh longer. Store the chives in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, where they should keep for about 3 weeks. When the cut ends look dry, frayed, brown, or darker green, or are beginning to curl and split, the chives are getting old and dried out and should be discarded

Chive Blossom Vinegar

When your chives begin to bloom and you have to cut the blossoms to encourage new growth, put the blossoms in a large glass jar with a tight lid. Fill the jar with white vinegar and keep it in a dark place.

Whenever you cut blossoms, add them to the jar with the rest and let them all marinate until fall. When the glories of the summer garden have faded into brown twigs and brittle leaves, pull out your jar of chive vinegar and strain out the blossoms. The vinegar that remains will be as brightly pink as the blossoms once were and will be redolent with their fresh summer bite.

Bottle the vinegar in pretty jars for gifts, putting a few dried pink chive blossoms in each one.

Drying Chives

Dried chives tend to be shadows of their former, glorious selves. You may need to increase the amount you use in a dish if the recipe calls for fresh chives. On the other hand, the subtlety of dried chives can be pleasantly mellow in contrast to the sharpness of the fresh kind.

Drying chives is easy. Just follow these steps:

Step 1. Rinse the chives.

Step 2. Lay the chives out on a paper towel spread over a wire cake rack and set them someplace safe to dry. Look for a well-ventilated spot that’s out of direct sunlight. Avoid areas that are dusty, smoky, or exposed to kitchen odors.

Step 3. After a few days, do a dryness test. Completely dried chives are brittle to the touch.

Step 4. Crumble the chives and store in airtight containers.

Freezing Chives

Freezing is the best way to preserve the flavor of chives. However, frozen chives suffer in texture, turning into limp, semitranslucent stalks that not as tender as they were when they were fresh.

Still, frozen chives can be used in many cooked dishes that call for fresh chives. Dishes that incorporate chives into a marinade or sauce work well with frozen chives. To disguise the soft texture, cut the frozen chives into smaller pieces. For some recipes, of course, it’s better to wait until you have the fresh herb.

To freeze chives, rinse freshly cut herbs and lay them on a towel to dry completely. Do not try to dry them by patting with the towel, or they could end up bruised.

When the chives are dry, cut them to fit into a freezer-quality bag; one that has a zip closure will be the most convenient for repeated use. Line the chives up in clumps, tying each clump together with another chive, and lay the bundles side by side in the freezer bag. Seal, pressing out any excess air gently so as not to bruise the hollow stalks. Keep in the freezer. Whenever you need some, just snip off the ends of a whole clump at once, using scissors.