Chives for Good Cheer

Allium, also known as chives, is blessedly easy plant to grow anywhere and everywhere –on the kitchen window sill or in the garden patch. A member of the onion family, this is a lovely case where the entire plant- bulb, leaves and flowers can be eaten. Plant the bulbs six inches apart, water and you can pretty much ignore them after that as all they require is water. A plus is that this relative of onion has insect repellant properties so you can plant rows of this beside veggies and fruits and the bugs will stay away. They propagate quickly so you can dig up mature bulbs and separate them and replant. One tip to remember is that chives do lose their flavor when dried so use them fresh. The flowers are a lovely surprise to add to salads for the edible beauty and many a kitchen witch uses chives in all manner of dishes as it good for weight management and is a plant of protection for both home and garden.  Chives were used by practioners of old in amulets to ward off evil spirits and mischievous fairy folk. Fresh cut bunches were also hung beside the sickbed to speed healing, especially for children. If you see a home surrounded by rows of allium, you know they hold to the “old ways.”