The chives have started coming up – and all at once I am reminded of two important things: that I have survived the winter, and that spring is indeed coming.

Chives are one of my favorite ingredients. And, as I like to remind anyone who will listen, they are the first and last crop of the season. They have this delicate onion flavor that can add something really beautiful to a dish. But, more than that, for me they symbolize hope. Being the first crop of the season, they signal to us that the best is yet to come. The season is just starting for all of the lovely ingredients from the earth that I will soon have at my fingertips.

As the snow begins to melt, the darkness of winter starts to fade away, and the days get longer, the chives start coming up. There is just something about sunshine that dramatically increases my will to live. And as each day starts having more and more of it, I feel the hope growing inside of my heart. It takes less and less time each morning to convince myself I want to be alive and to get out of bed. And the chives keep growing.

Soon, they will start to have the most beautiful blossoms. Soon, the other crops will start to come up too. Soon, it will be the height of summer and I will have more tomatoes than I know what to do with. Soon.

And later, when the growing season eventually winds down, as it does each year, the chives will still be coming up. They are a hearty plant that can endure cold weather and harsh conditions. They can survive the first few snowfalls. And even when they go dormant for the winter, they survive still, just waiting for the first few signs of spring to come back up to the surface.

Chives are survivors, just like me.