I chop mine and then spread them on a tray on the kitchen table. In about 3 days -- faster if it's hot -- they are nice and dry and I put them in a good, tight jar. I guess there are lots of ways to do this.
I'm with tsiegl and carlaJS--their freezers sound like mine! Just take it out as your need it; even easier to chop in its frozen state than when fresh from the garden, yet the freezer preserves that just-picked flavor.
I get better results by freezing my chives. I wash them, shake off the excess water, then lay them on a cookie sheet for an hour or two in the freezer, and then put them in a zip-top bag in the freezer to store them. The time spent on a cookie sheet in the freezer is to sort of flash-freeze them individually so they don't freeze as a clump in the zip-top bag later. Sometimes I chop the chives before freezing and sometimes I leave them whole - I don't find one to be better than the other. I also freeze cilantro, basil, thyme, and parsley in similar ways with great results.
I usually chop them and put in the dehydrator you could use the oven on a low temp if you don't have one, use a baking tray and leave the oven door open a crack to let the air circulate and oven on the lowest tempurature setting you have.
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Request: Drying Chives (06/22/2009)
I just brought in a bunch of Chives from my garden and would like to know the best way to dry them.
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Request: Drying Chives
Archived on 06/22/2009
I just brought in a bunch of Chives from my garden and would like to know the best way to dry them.
Thanks. Maryeileen
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RE: Drying Chives
Don't dry them, freeze them. I take all my cut herbs, rinse them, blot dry and put in a freezer baggie. It's nice to have a handful of "fresh" Italian Parsley for homemade sauce. I always keep a bag of pre-chopped Vidalia onions in the freezer. When a recipe calls for diced onion, the work's all done and it's a Vidalia that is only available a certain time of the year. Just remember to label it. I actually pre-cut them. You wouldn't want to throw in Lemon Thyme, when you thought it was Parsley. All are really good in fresh salad dressings, too. (09/30/2005)
