Chives are an easy vegetable garden grower. Chives are not only healthy but also tasty. Pipe grass is another name for this relative of the look, not to be confused with the slightly larger pipe look. They are hollow blades, thin pipes, that have a funny little purple ball as a flower. Chives belong in herb butter. It is also an herb to use to sprinkle on top of soup just before serving. Fresh chives are so tasty that you need less salt to season your food. It is therefore an ideal herb for a low-salt diet. NB! This article is written from the personal view of the author and may contain information that is not scientifically substantiated and/or in line with the general view.

Contents:

• Chives in the vegetable garden
• Medicinal properties of chives
• Vitamins in chives
• Minerals in chives
• Fight cancer with chives
• Chives as a blood pressure lowering agent
• Pipe grass eating tips

Chives in the vegetable garden

Chives are an ideal and very strong vegetable garden plant that belongs in the perennial herb garden. He likes it when you pick from him because that stimulates the chive plant to grow even faster. Chives are winter hardy. Buy three to five chive plants once, put them in the garden as a ground cover and you will always have enough chives. Dried chives lose their flavor. It is better to freeze this plant if you want to store it. It is tastier to eat it fresh.

Medicinal properties of chives

Chives have a diuretic effect. It stimulates digestion and appetite. Chives are good for the blood circulation. Like any member of the garlic family, chives contain many antioxidants in the form of thio-sulfinites. Chives have all the medicinal properties of garlic in a slightly milder form. It is therefore less prescribed than garlic, but it actually has more benefits since it does not have the garlic smell. Chives can be mixed with butter to enrich a sandwich with young cheese. Chives are delicious as a mixed herb in tea and chives work well in raw vegetable salads, applications that garlic does not really have.Source: Symac, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-3.0)

Vitamins in chives

Chives are almost never eaten in large quantities. It is not a main vegetable, but there are only positive properties associated with it if you do it anyway. Chives are bursting with vitamins and minerals. 100 grams of chives contain no less than 98% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of vitamin C and 145% of the RDA for vitamin A. This makes chives relatively the largest supplier of vitamin A from the garlic family. Furthermore, an ounce of chives contains 177% of the RDA for vitamin K. There is also a lot of foilic acid or vitamin B11; 28% of the RDA. For vitamin B5, this is 6.5% of the RDA and for B6 it is 11% of the RDA. There is also B2, namely 9% RDA and B1, 6.5% RDA. The last vitamin from the B complex contains vitamin B3, 4% RDA.Source: Pdreijnders, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-3.0)

Minerals in chives

There are also many minerals in chives. Here is a brief summary of the values of minerals per 100 grams of chives: iron (20% RDA), copper (17% RDA), manganese (16% RDA), magnesium (10.5% RDA), calcium (9% RDA), phosphorus (8% RDA) and zinc (5% RDA). Anyone who has often read overviews of mineral values in vegetables, fruit and herbs will immediately see that these are quite high values.

Fight cancer with chives

Eating chives helps prevent the development of several types of cancer. Scientific studies have reported positive results, particularly in colon cancer, esophageal cancer and prostate cancer. The phytonutrients containing organosulfur substances in chives stop cancer cell growth and disrupt the life cycle of cancer cells, causing them to die. A 2002 study shows that eating chives can reduce the risk of prostate cancer. According to the American researchers, this applies not only to chives but also to other allium vegetables such as onion, garlic and leek. Chinese research from 2013 reports a reduced risk of liver cancer in people who eat a lot of allium vegetables.Source: Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Chives as a blood pressure lowering agent

Chives contain several flavonoids including quercetin. This phytonutrient works as an antioxidant and ensures that free radicals in the body are combated. Free radicals can damage the body by causing damage at the cell level, which can ultimately lead to diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and various cancers. In laboratory research it was measured that rats had lower blood pressure after they were given food with this quercetin component from chives.

Pipe grass eating tips

Potatoes and eggs combine optimally with chives. Chives go well in a potato or egg salad or shredded over baked potatoes or an omelet. It is a herb that fits well in a homemade mayonnaise. Chives actually go well with all potato dishes; it can be shredded over boiled, steamed potatoes and in potato soup. A few stems of chives work great as a garnish or to give a salad an extra nice-looking touch. Chives are a great herb for dressings. It can be combined well with parsley, but can also be used instead of parsley in the kitchen.