You can store chives for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator after purchasing or harvesting them.
Chives are normally eaten raw, so make sure to rinse them thoroughly to clean them if you plan on doing so.
Avoid any chives that smell bad as well. Chives should smell just faintly like onions.
Try not to squish the chives flat as you hold them in a bunch.
You can adjust the size of the chives or cut them at different angles to change their appearance for whatever the recipe you are making calls for.
Chives are very delicate, so it’s important to have a very sharp knife when you attempt to mince them so as not to crush and bruise them.
You can wrap a wet paper towel around the chives for added stability and grip.
Snip the chives into pieces that are about 1⁄2 in (1. 3 cm) if your recipe calls for chopped chives, or make them as small as you possibly can if your recipe calls for minced chives.
For example, if you are cutting them up as a garnish for something like baked potatoes, then let them fall into a dish that you can grab from at the dinner table. If you are adding them to a salad, you could snip them right above the salad bowl and let them fall in on top of all the other ingredients.
Make sure to use a clean pair of garden shears or hedge trimmers to prune the chives.
After the chives are established, you can harvest them at any time.
You can clip off smaller pieces if you only want to use a little bit at a time. You don’t have to only harvest the whole stalks.
You can go ahead and chop the chives up before you freeze them so they are ready to go when you need to use them. You can store the chopped chives in a freezer bag and throw them into your recipes easily.
