Chives: First Taste of Spring

Fresh snipped chives from the garden.

For me, one of the first signs of spring is the new shoots of chives spearing up out of last year’s leafy detritus. And my favorite way to use them is with a bright batch of scrambled eggs. This is the first taste of a new season. The zing of their mild onion flavor opens your eyes and wakes up the palette. Of course, you can use chives in all sorts of recipes, but my favorite is a simple pile of velvety scrambled eggs made with lots of butter.

Farm eggs - all different colors!

This time around I was lucky to score some farm eggs on a recent getaway weekend in Wisconsin. Every since a co-worker’s chickens introduced me to the wonders of fresh eggs, I seek them out whenever I’m headed somewhere more rural. Sure, you can find them at the farmers markets, but I can also drive an hour out and buy them from a cooler on the side of the road with the honor system. The deep yellow yolks and rich flavor make them another simple pleasure.

Folded in with butter, salt, and pepper, with a couple of pieces of toast, and this, my friends, is a beautiful spring breakfast.