Anyone who’s ever worked in a restaurant kitchen knows of freeze-dried chives. The much maligned herb has been the foundation of production kitchen garnish rosters since who cares when.

In reality, chives are an easy herb to grow with a vast range of culinary applications. They have also managed to sneak into the long list of fresh herbs that now vie for shelf space in food market produce sections.

One of the very first to sprout from the warming earth in early Spring, chives originally hail from the Orient and Eastern Europe. Of the same family as leeks, garlic and onions, they only require a sunny spot in your gardens with well drained, medium fertile soil to flourish, year after year. Sure, you can start them from seed. But, garden centers and friends can provide starter plants. After a year or so, dig up and transplant clumps from your original plants, spacing them at least 18 inches apart for best results. Chives also do well in a pot, on a sunny windowsill for quick, easy use.

To harvest garden chives for the kitchen, gather what you’ll need at the base of the cluster and cut with a sharp knife or kitchen scissors. Rinse in cold water, remove any less than attractive stems and chop or cut the rest for immediate use. Wrap excess in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 or 3 days.

Freshly chopped chives are wonderful when sprinkled over scrambled eggs, omelets and even a potato frittata. Scattered over a bowl of just about any type of soup, the mild, almost sweet onion flavor of chives is a welcome hit on the palate. Fresh chopped chives are perfect in egg or tuna salad. Strewn over a garden salad, the chives will delicately add another flavor dimension.

As Spring marches on, chives will send up bud spikes that culminate in pink clusters of firm flowers. Cut the flower stems from the base of the plant and use them in bouquets. Or, for fun, stick them into a Bloody Mary or other tomato based drinks as a swizzle stick. Better yet, cut the flowers apart and throw the pink blooms over a salad as a garnish that will add both flavor and crunch to whatever it’s paired with.

For a more sophisticated kitchen use, employ whole chives to wrap bundles of cooked vegetables. Start by peeling and cutting carrots into batons about the size of pencils in 3 inch lengths. Cook them in boiling salted water until just el dente. Drain and cool. Next, harvest long chives, clean them and then drop into shallow pan of simmering water on the stove for about 10 seconds. Remove the chives from the hot water and place on a cutting board. Stretch them out, then make a portion size pile of carrots in the center of the chive. Tie an attractive knot around the carrots, trim the excess and place the secured bundle in a shallow ovenproof pan. When it’s almost time to serve dinner, spoon a tablespoon or so of hot chicken stock over the carrot bundles, cover the pan and pop into a hot oven for 6-8 minutes. When steam rises from the carrot bundles, transfer to dinner plates and serve.

Regardless of how you choose to incorporate chives into your kitchen style, the payoff is the same, brilliant color and taste-bud sensations.