Two cheers for chives

The past week was a tough one for plant lovers. The first half of the month was unseasonably warm, precipitating a premature flush of spring greenery and flowers only to be met with a drastic temperature dip into the teens. Generally, the first plants to break in spring are fairly resilient and can handle an overnight freeze, but this past week the temperatures dropped so low that even some of my tough-as-nails daffodils didn’t survive. While I was sad to see the snow-white blooms on my star magnolia tree shrivel and turn brown alongside the bright new leaves of my normally hearty tarragon plant, I was relieved to find that my decades-old clump of chives had survived remarkably well. The tips of the lush green shoots had indeed browned a bit in the extreme cold, but overall the plant was fine.

Once established, common chives are one of the very first harbingers of spring in the garden and one of my most favorite ingredients of the season. A generous sprinkle of chives is a must on eggs of any kind, whether deviled, poached or softly scrambled. They’re also a clutch ingredient for a showstopping goat’s cheese ball, especially when the delicate purple chive blossoms are included.

Chives, garlic chives and green onions are all members of the allium family, or onion family. This important group of ingredients, which also includes leeks, shallots and garlic, forms the backbone of practically every cuisine around the globe. Like the members of any large family, individual alliums each have their own character and applications. Green onions, also known as scallions or bunching onions, are usually grown as an annual crop specifically to be harvested young without forming a bulb. Common chives, however, are a distinct herb species that comes back each year in tight clumps of small bulbs, each of which send up a tubular green leaf that grows to be about eight to 16 inches long. Common chives are milder than green onions and prized for their sweet, delicate flavor. They are often used in raw preparations or added at the very end of cooking so as not to destroy their subtle flavor. 

Thankfully, my garlic chives also survived the recent cold snap. Their flat, solid leaves offer a distinct garlic-forward flavor that’s more pungent and lingering than common chives. Garlic chives are also much more heat tolerant and often cooked as a vegetable unto themselves in stir-fries, pad thai or buchujeon, (Korean garlic chive pancakes). While bunches of garlic chives are readily available in specialty grocery stores such as Asian Market on Wabash Avenue in Springfield, they are incredibly easy to grow in the home garden (and can even become invasive if unchecked). The white flowers of the garlic chive are less delicate than the amethyst-colored blooms of common chives, though they are still edible. 

Chive pesto 

Delicious tossed with pasta or over roasted carrots and potatoes.

Ingredients:

½ cup minced chives

½ cup chopped parsley 

2 tablespoons slivered almonds 

1 teaspoon lemon zest 

1 garlic clove

2 teaspoons lemon juice 

½ cup olive oil 

Salt and black pepper, to taste 

Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor or blender. With the motor running, pour in the olive oil in a slow stream and process until thoroughly blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Buchujeon (Korean garlic chive pancakes) 

Ingredients:

¾ cup all-purpose of gluten-free flour blend

¾ cup cold water 

2-3 teaspoons fish sauce or 1 teaspoon kosher salt 

⅓ cup chopped green onion 

1 ½ cups chopped garlic chives 

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 

For the dipping sauce:

1 tablespoon each soy sauce and water

1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice 

A pinch each of ground black pepper and sugar 

Combine the flour, water and fish sauce or salt in a mixing bowl and mix well, then add the onions and chives. Mix thoroughly to combine and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. While the batter rests, make the dipping sauce by combining one tablespoon each soy sauce and water, one teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice and a pinch of black pepper and sugar. 

When ready to cook the pancake, heat half of the oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon the chive batter into the middle of the skillet and use a spatula to spread it out into an even circle about 10-12 inches in diameter. Cook for 3-5 minutes until lightly brown and crispy on the bottom. Using a spatula, carefully flip the pancake and drizzle the remaining oil into the pan around the edges of the pancake and cook for 2 minutes more, then flip and cook for a final two minutes until it is thoroughly crispy on both sides. Cut the pancake into rectangular strips. Serve hot with a dipping sauce.  

Ashley Meyer is a chef and freelance writer based in Springfield.

This article appears in March 26 – April 1, 2026.