Garlic Chives Honey
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Garlic chives are lovely small white flowers that bloom late summer. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Garlic Chives Honey
I am not so sure now this was such a good idea.
Earlier this spring, I dug up a lot of plants from a former neighbor's house, many of the plants unidentified. To make sure I could find them again, I planted some small plants along my flower garden border, in between Liriope "monkey grass."
One of my honeybees discover blooming garlic chives late summer at Bluebird Gardens. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Turns out the little green stems are garlic chives, Allium tuberosum, also called Asian chives, Chinese chives and Oriental garlic. This plant is native to the Himalayans and the Chinese province of Shanxi. It is cultivated and naturalized in many locations around the world and especially now in my garden.
I planted garlic chives between monkey grass so I could find them again when blooming. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
I love anything that has a flower and is easy care. Garlic cloves have quickly settled in around my garden, adding beautiful white swaths to my garden at a time when little is in bloom. And so far they seem to bloom through record hot temperatures and drought.
The lovely garlic chives were in full bloom August 2016 next to my bees favorite bird bath. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Late summer is also the time beekeepers start to monitor blooming goldenrod. It's not as easy as it sounds, Missouri has 22 different kinds of goldenrod that bloom from June-October.
The discussion about goldenrod, however, centers around harvesting honey before bees add goldenrod pollen to their winter stores. Goldenrod adds a bitter taste to honey, at least to some human palates.
As I was listening to a discussion about when to harvest and when goldenrod blooms, my thoughts went to all of the garlic chives now blooming in my garden.
One of my honeybees checking out garlic chives blooms at Bluebird Gardens apiary. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
Having bottled honey for two years now, I can say the garlic chives have not adversely altered the taste of the honey from my flowers but it is a fun discussion to have with non-beekeepers!
