I got them! I am very excited about this as I ran out of the ones from the store and when I went to buy them they were like $5.70! Some insane amount of money for a non-organic version of plant that pretty much grows like a weed in my yard! I even cooked with a few last night -- they're still pretty tiny.

And another nice thing about chives ... they do VERY well as a potted plant! So for those of you that do not have enough space for a garden, chives is the route to go. Just make sure you pinch off the purple flowers while you are still havesting. I had one in a pot for three years -- it would have still been there this year but the snow broke the pot. I took the roots left from the pot and just tossed them on the corner of my house. I just noticed last night that they're growing. It's like a weed and hard to kill!

Anyway this year I will freeze my own. There are a lot of ways that the store will get my dollar but not with chives! And here is a website that talks about freezing them.

All About Chives cooking with herbs and spices

Interesting this site above mentions eating the flowers -- I was always told to pinch them off! I'll have to check it out!

I love chives! Mine live right next to the porch outside, so I can run out the door and grab some fresh. I see they are starting to green up right now!

I have wild chives growing in the back yard, but I only know because I can smell them when I run them over with the mower. I still can't find exactly where they are....

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You can definitely eat the flowers, but I think adding them is mostly for looks. (Like, I wouldn't myself chop them up, but if you were sprinkling chives on top of something and the flowers would look pretty, then I would do it.) I guess you can taste a flower and see what you think!

Probably we're told to pinch them off for the same reason as any other herbs--to keep all that plant energy going to the leaves instead of letting them go to seed. I'm just assuming? I often let them flower in my old garden, from laziness and just because the flowers are so pretty. Just got some new chive plants for my new garden, and I'm excited, too. I love, love, love fresh herbs.

I will have to check ours out. We have some that come up every year on the side of the garage. (Well my parents did when they lived here) It is the only edible thing that they had. Hopefully they will come up soon. If only the weather would break the 35 degree mark!

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~~Sonja~~

My 3lynns~ Ashlynn-8, Brooklyn-4 and Kaylin-3