Dehydrated chives also freeze and keep well when properly stored in airlock containers

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As much as I welcome a change in season, it brings a little sadness as the garden I worked so hard on over the summer is showing signs of slowing down.

Many of the veggies, like root veggies, are easy to store over the winter months, but others, like chives, not so much. Well, that’s not entirely true — they just need a little work to make it happen.

Chives are a great herb to grow. It doesn’t matter how big or small your garden is. In fact, you don’t even need a garden — a patio will do just fine. Actually, even a sunny windowsill will do the trick.

Chives are closely related to both the onion and garlic family and provide a delicious mild flavour that suits just about any recipe that calls for onion or garlic. They’re also a great garnish — another positive!

They’re a perennial, which means they come back year after year with little to no care.

Like many herbs, they have varieties. There’s the common onion chive, garlic chives and Siberian chives. You can typically tell them apart by their foliage.

So, what’s the process of dehydrating chives? Well, it is actually really simple and you have options. It all depends on how much time you have and the tools on hand. If you have a dehydrator in the house, well, you follow the steps the machine requires. I, however, do not have many bulky tools in the kitchen and either go with the air-dry option or dehydrate in the oven.

For the chives, I chose the oven.

Using scissors, cut all of the remaining chives at the bottom of the plant. Be sure to remove all the dried-out brown stalks or chives that are already turning. Then, bring them into the house and rinse them under water to ensure there’s no bugs hanging around.

Side note: darned earwigs! They’re brutal this year.

Once rinsed, towel dry to remove excess water.

Preheat your oven to 185F degrees. Next, line baking sheets with parchment paper.

As I had a lot of chives to dehydrate, I used three separate baking sheets. If you know you are going to need several baking sheets, it is best to position the oven racks before they get too hot.

Using your scissors in one hand and a bunch of chives in the other, cut the chives in about quarter-inch pieces directly onto the parchment paper. Only cut enough to cover one single layer on the parchment paper. If you build up too many layers of chives, you run the risk of making it harder to dehydrate them evenly.

Once you have finished that step, place the chives in the oven for about two hours. Don’t forget to set the timer. It’s best to check them about an hour in and again at about the 90-minute point. The last thing you want to do is run the risk of burning them.

Once they feel and look dry, take them out of the oven to cool. If you’re happy with the results, once cooled you can place them directly in storage containers, like mason jars. If you feel like they’re still a tad moist, leave them out on the counter to air dry until you go to bed or until the next morning.

Dehydrated chives are a great way to preserve your homegrown goodies. They also freeze and keep well when properly stored in airlock containers.

An added bonus for the foodies? For the foodies in your life — dehydrated chives are a tasty homemade gift. Made and grown with love – you can’t top that!

However, you decided to dehydrate, store or gift them — dehydrated chives are most definitely fit to eat.

Erin Sulley is a self-confessed foodie who lives in Mount Pearl. Email: [email protected]  Instagram: @erinsulley

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