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Seed | Oriental Chives
  • Seed | Oriental Chives
Seed | Oriental Chives

Seed | Oriental Chives

$3.99 CAD
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Oriental Chives offer a distinct flavor profile, more pronounced than common chives, with subtle garlic notes. Their sturdy stems and edible star-shaped flowers make them a favorite choice for authentic Asian cuisine.
A LITTLE HISTORY

Oriental chives, also called garlic chives and Chinese chives, are both edible and ornamental plants that are finding a place in more and more gardens.

As for its name, oriental chives, it highlights its Asian origins and the fact that it has been used in Chinese cuisine for 4,000 years. However, the Japanese and Koreans use it just as much as the Chinese, and it is very popular in India as well. Marco Polo is said to have introduced this plant to the West, but it remained primarily a botanical collector's item until recently.

Although it belongs to the same genus as chives, Allium, which it shares with onions (A. cepa) and true garlic (A. sativum), oriental chives are not closely related to chives (A. schoenoprasum). Their common name comes from the fact that their leaves are used in the same way as those of chives. As for "garlic," their taste is more like garlic and they are used as a garlic substitute in cooking.
PROPERTIES

Deficiencies of an unbalanced diet? Look at this table 🙂

for 100g of Oriental Chives

  • Carbohydrates 2.1 g
  • Lipids 0.52 g
  • Dietary fiber 3.19 g
  • Calcium 92.8 mg
  • Copper 0.1 mg
  • Iron 1.31 mg
  • Iodine 2.2 µg
  • Magnesium 23.8 mg
  • Manganese 0.85 mg
  • Phosphorus 46.3 mg
  • Potassium 275 mg
  • Selenium 0.35 µg
  • Sodium 11.5 mg
  • Zinc 0.45 mg
  • Beta-Carotene 1610 µg
  • Vitamin E 0.99 mg
  • Vitamin K1 260 µg
  • Vitamin C 39.7 mg
  • Vitamin B1 or Thiamine 0.065 mg
  • Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin 0.12 mg
  • Vitamin B3 or PP or Niacin 0.57 mg
  • Vitamin B5 or Pantothenic Acid 0.19 mg
  • Vitamin B6 0.12 mg
  • Vitamin B9 or Total Folates 78.3 µg

Beneficial for blood circulation, it promotes the elasticity of blood vessels and protects them from premature aging. Chives are nutritionally interesting even if consumed in small quantities.

  • Rich in antioxidants
    Antioxidants are compounds that reduce the damage caused by free radicals in the body. These highly reactive molecules are thought to be involved in the development of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and other age-related diseases. Several researchers have evaluated the antioxidant capacity of herbs, and all agree that fresh herbs have a significant antioxidant capacity, sometimes even higher than that of certain fruits and vegetables. This demonstrates that indeed, regularly adding herbs to the diet contributes to antioxidant intake. More specifically, the antioxidant activity of chives could be attributable to its modest vitamin C and carotenoid content, but especially to the presence of flavonoids.
  • Prevention of certain cancers

An epidemiological study shows that the consumption of vegetables from the allium family (including chives, garlic, and onion) could prevent stomach and esophageal cancers. Indeed, in light of these results, people who consume Chinese chives one to three times a month would have a 64% to 74% lower risk of suffering from esophageal or stomach cancer than people who consume them less than once a month. As mechanisms of action, the authors propose the antibacterial and antifungal properties of vegetables from the allium family.

  • Source of vitamin K

Fresh chives are a source of vitamin K. Vitamin K is necessary for the synthesis of proteins involved in blood clotting (both in stimulating and inhibiting blood clotting). It also plays a role in bone formation. In addition to being found in food, vitamin K is produced by bacteria in the intestine, making vitamin K deficiency rare.
HOW TO COOK?

The open pink or white flowers of chives and garlic root are edible and brighten up soups and salads.

Salted herbs in Acadian cuisine are traditionally made from salted onion, chive, or spring onion stalks. They are used to season meat or fish dishes.

  • In the Lower St. Lawrence, the preparation is enriched with parsley, carrot stalks or grated carrots, savory, etc. In fact, you can add salt to any fresh herbs of your choice as they are harvested or purchased.

Pack them in layers of about 2 cm in a glass jar, adding a generous portion of coarse salt between the layers. Fill with cold water, close the jar and keep cool;
Chervil, parsley, tarragon and chives together make up the mixture known as fine herbs: fresh and finely chopped, they add their aromas to green salads, omelets, as well as poached chicken or fish. To prevent the flavor from dulling during cooking, only add them at the last minute;

  • Cottage cheese seasoned with chives is a classic. Try goat cheese, mashed with oriental chives, sliced ​​green onions, and chervil. Serve as an appetizer on crackers;
    Tarator is made with partially skimmed milk, plain yogurt and Greek yogurt (around 9% or 10% fat), a cucumber cut into sticks, a bunch of thinly sliced ​​radishes, a good amount of chopped chives, chopped parsley and mint, salt and pepper. Cover and let it cool in the refrigerator before serving;
  • Prepare a chive-flavored oil by blending a large handful of chives with the oil in a blender. Pour into a sieve placed over a bowl and let it drain for one hour. Discard the solids. Spread it on bread, which will be heated for a few minutes in the oven with cheese;
  • Parmesan and Chive Popcorn: Sauté the corn, melt the butter, and add chopped chives and Parmesan cheese. Pour the melted butter mixture over the popcorn and season with salt;
  • You can make a pancake with whole grains of spelt or Kamut, eggs, a large bunch of chives, onion, and shallot. First, let the grains swell overnight and cook for half an hour. Then add the alliums and eggs, and make a dough that you shape into a pancake. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pan-fry;
  • In Asia, the flowering stems of garlic root with their buds are eaten as a vegetable rather than as a condiment. The bud should be closed and tight. Trim the stems by a few centimeters. Sauté them for one minute over high heat in oil seasoned with a little sugar and set aside. Sprinkle soy sauce and mirin wine over thin strips of lamb or pork fillet and sauté for just a few minutes. Add the pieces of garlic root, heat through, and serve. Sauté garlic root with shiitake mushroom slices in the same way.

Finally, you can even use it as a herbal tea. Cook it as you wish!
HOW TO GROW?

It will be necessary:

  • Cold stratification:
  • Prepare the seeds: Clean them and, if necessary, soak them for a few hours.
  • Mix: Mix the seeds with a moist substrate (sand or vermiculite).
  • Condition: Put everything in an airtight bag.
  • Refrigerate: Place the bag in the refrigerator for 4 to 12 weeks.
  • Check: Make sure the substrate remains slightly moist.
  • Sow: After the stratification period, sow the seeds in prepared soil.

That's it! It helps the seeds germinate.

Our seeds are vigorous, open-pollinated and adapted to the Quebec climate.

  • Species: Allium tuberosum
  • Sowing: Early March indoors, early April under cover outdoors
  • Seeds: 15-20 seeds per pot, final transplanting into an outdoor pot or soil around mid-May
  • Sowing depth: 0.5 cm
  • Germination time: 7-15 days|
  • Soil: Poor, humus-rich, loose and well-drained
  • Location: Sun and tolerates shade and cold very well
  • Spacing between plants: 20-25 cm
  • Height at maturity: 60 to 75 cm
  • Maturity: 80-90 days | Perennial
  • Seeds per envelope: +/- 100
    Our seeds are guaranteed for the year of purchase.

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