Moxie Gardener

These chives unexpectedly survived a Minnesota winter unprotected in a window box. Photo taken April 7, 2009

Chives are always one of the first plants to break ground in my garden. I can’t count the number of years I saw their green shoots peeking through the snow. Even late season snowfalls don’t set them back. Conversely, in the fall they are one of the last, if not the last, garden plant to succumb to frost.

The use of chives is first documented by the ancient Chinese back in 3000 BC. Marco Polo is credited with bringing them back to Italy from the Orient. Roman armies helped to spread them across the rest of Europe. Chives now grow wild throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere.

A member of the onion family, chives are a hardy perennial known as Allium shoenoprasum.  They are thought to originate in Siberia and the temperate regions of Southeast Asia.

There’s also garlic flavored chives, Allium tuberosum. It’s easy to tell regular chives and garlic chives apart: regular chives have round, hollow leaves and their light lavender flowers bloom in spring; garlic chives have flat leaves and their white flowers bloom in fall.

The easiest way to grow chives is to dig up a clump, break it apart, and plant the parts separately. Virtually any gardener who has chives will be more than happy to donate a clump of chives to a budding gardener.

If you want to start them from seed, toss a small handfull into a 3 inch by 3 inch square of your garden. Water well. In a week or so you’ll notice slightly thick, grass-like shoots. During its first summer, cut chives sparsely so most of its energy is put into growing a strong root system. Cover them with leaves or straw their first winter, although they probably will live without it.

They bloom in mid to late spring on erect stalks that hold the blooms above the rosette of leaves. Their light lavender flowers are actually many little flowers radiating out from a central point.

The flowers are edible. They have a rather strong onion taste, so pull the small, individual “flowers” off and toss them into spring salads.

Chives are such a perfect finishing touch to so many dishes, I don’t think I can name them all. Their mild onion flavor is almost never overpowering, if used with a light touch. Sprinkle on salads, or garnish a bowl of soup. Mix with cottage cheese and allow the flavors to blend overnight. Ditto for cream cheese. And let’s not forget the classic sour cream and chives baked potato.

Chives freeze well. Chop or snip them into small pieces and toss in a zip lock plastic bag. The pieces don’t stick together when frozen, so you can just grab what you need.

Once you grow fresh chives, you’ll always grow them. Every year when they come up I imagine our ancestors eagerly looking forward to their first fresh greens of spring. In many cases it may well have been chives.

What a way to wake up your tastebuds after a long winter.

Thymus vulgaris (common thyme)

Thyme was the first fresh herb I ever held in my hands. A small bunch in a plastic bag was given to me decades ago by a friend of a friend who was a very enthusiastic gardener.

Even though I cannot recall her name, she is the one who inspired me to grow herbs. At the time, I was living in a townhouse with no yard and no garden. A year later, I moved into a duplex with an entire yard and began my foray into the wonderful world of growing herbs.

Thyme, basil and parsley were the first three herbs I grew. I started them from seed and I remember how amazed I was that the tiny seedlings were so aromatic. From the time they germinated, they gave off their heavenly odor when I rubbed them between my fingers. I’m afraid I lost a few in my over-enthusiasm to smell their lovely, fresh scent.

Thyme is one of the oldest cultivated herbs; the ancient Egyptians used it when embalming their mummies. Throughout recorded history, thyme is used as an antiseptic as well as for the treatment of chronic coughs. Its active ingredient, Thymol, is a major ingredient in both Listerine Mouthwash and Vicks Vapor Rub because of its antiseptic and soothing properties.

It’s known botanically as Thymus vulgaris. Interestingly enough, thyme is one of the few plants that has never been referred to by a “common” name in the English speaking world.

Thyme is a woody perennial that is reliably hardy to USDA Zone 5, although it has survived in my Zone 4 garden with adequate winter protection.

Start thyme seeds indoors about six weeks before frost free weather in your location. Plant outside when all danger of frost has passed.

Plant thyme in unimproved soil. It will grow much better and be more aromatic than if it is grown in the improved soil of a vegetable garden. Thyme grows about a foot high so it is perfect for the front of an herb garden.

Small pink flowers bloom in mid-summer at the ends of the branches. The best time to cut thyme to dry for culinary use is just before the flowers open. Cut in the morning when the essential aromatic oils are at their highest concentration.

Provide winter protection for thyme. If you live in areas with severe winters, mound some dirt around the base of the plant and cover with a layer of leaves or straw. Remove in early spring about the time your chives start to peek out of the ground. Established thyme can take a little cold weather; if setting out brand new seedlings, wait until all danger of frost has past.

Fresh thyme, along with parsley and bay leaf, make up the bouquet garni added to simmering pots of soups and stews. It complements the flavor of virtually any vegetable. A very tasty marinade for meats can be made using only fresh thyme sprigs, olive oil, and wine vinegar. It also makes a very flavorful herb vinegar.

Once you taste the flavor of home grown thyme—whether fresh or dried—you’ll be as hooked on it as I am.

Sweet Basil

Summer wouldn’t be summer without fresh basil. This most popular, versatile herb goes hand in hand with summer’s other most popular item in the home garden:  tomatoes.  Grown in proximity to one another, tomatoes and basil will both grow bigger, better, more lush, and more delicious.

Originally from India, basil has migrated around the world and is prominent in the cuisine of many cultures.

It’s botanical name is Ocimum basilicum from the Greek basileus, meaning “King.”  With more than 150 known varieties, basil truly is the king of all culinary herbs.

It’s hard to chose a favorite between caprese salad and pesto, two classic and popular ways of using fresh basil.  The former pairs it with its garden companion, tomatoes, and the latter is a versatile sauce used in everything from pasta to pizza to mayonnaise to topping grilled meats.

The many flavored varieties of basil produce delicately flavored and colored jams, jellies, vinegars and even teas.  In fact, herbal medicine uses basil tea to calm menstrual cramps.  According to folklore, if a man gives a woman a sprig of basil she will fall in love with him and never leave him.  I wonder if there is a correlation between the two…

Grow basil in a pot on your deck and it will repel flies and mosquitos.  They have an aversion to the smell.  Your basil will have a stronger scent and flavor if you don’t fertilize it too much, but do fertilize it.  Unlike most other herbs, basil likes a slightly rich soil.

Make sure to pinch the growth tips several times thoughout the season.  The benefits of this are twofold:  first, it will encourage the plant to branch out and become bush-like; second, basil plants are programmed to produce flowers when there are six leaves on a stem.  Once the flowers produce seed, the plant will stop growing.  We want them to grow lots of leaves.

Basil flower bracts mix well with cut flowers, such as zinnias

Another thing I like to do with basil is put it in flower arrangements, particularly with flowers that have little or no scent of their own, like zinnias.  I usually pick the tips of branches with flower bracts, open or not, along with at least the top two sets of leaves.  They add vertical interest to the flower arrangement and a surprising amount of fragrance.

The later in the day that you cut your basil, the longer it will keep fresh in the house.  Store in a glass of water on the counter, but remember to change the water every other day.  It will keep for a couple of weeks and may even grow roots in the glass.  You can also store sprigs of basil in perforated plastic bags at room temperature for a week or more.  If you store basil in the refrigerator it will only keep for a few days.

Because basil loves hot weather so much it will be one of the first garden plants to succumb to cold weather.  Dig one up and put in a pot on a sunny windowsill, it should keep for a few months.

Basil is one of the most beloved culinary herbs and deserves a place in every garden.  I’m already planning on adding a couple new varieties next year.  What unusual varieties of basil have you grown?