16
Foods That’ll Re-Grow from Kitchen Scraps
15
October 2012
16
Foods That’ll Re-Grow from Kitchen Scraps
By Andy Whiteley
Co- Founder of Wake Up World
Looking for a healthy way to get
more from your garden? Like to know your food is free of the pesticides and
other nasties that are often sprayed on commercial crops? Re-growing food from
your kitchen scraps is a good way to do it!
There’s nothing like eating your
own home- grown vegies, and there are heaps of different foods that will re-
grow from the scrap pieces that you’d normally throw out or put into your
compost bin.
It’s fun. And very simple … if
you know how to do it.
Just remember … the quality of
the “parent” vegetable scrap will help to determine the quality of the
re-growth. So, wherever possible, I recommend buying local organic produce, so
you know your re-grown plants are fresh, healthy and free of chemical and genetic meddling.
Leeks,
Scallions, Spring Onions and Fennel
You can either use the white root
end of a vegetable that you have already cut, or buy a handful of new
vegetables to use specifically for growing.
Simply place the white root end
in a glass jar with a little water, and leave it in a sunny position. I keep
mine in the kitchen window. The green leafy part of the plant will continue to
shoot. When it’s time to cook, just snip off what you need from the green
growth and leave the white root end in water to keep growing. Freshen up the
water each week or so, and you’ll never have to buy them again.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass
grows just like any other grass. To propagate it, place the root end (after
you’ve cut the rest off) in a glass jar with a little water, and leave it in a
sunny position.
Within
a week or so, new growth will start to appear. Transplant your lemongrass into
a pot and leave it in a sunny outdoor position. You can harvest your lemongrass
when the stalks reach around a foot tall – just cut off what you need and leave
the plant to keep growing.
Celery, Bok
Choi, Romaine Lettuce & Cabbage
Similar
to leeks, these vegetables will re-grow from the white root end. Cut the stalks
off as you normally would, and place the root end in a shallow bowl of water –
enough to cover the roots but not the top of your cutting. Place it in a sunny
window position, occasionally spraying your cutting with water to keep the top
moist.
After
a few days, you should start to see roots and new leaves appear. After a week
or so, transplant it into soil with just the leaves showing above the level of
the soil. The plant will continue to grow, and within a few weeks it will
sprout a whole new head.
Alternatively
you can plant your cutting directly into soil (without starting the process in
water) but you will need to keep the soil very moist for the first week until
the new shoots start to appear.
Ginger
Ginger
is very easy to re-grow. Simply plant a spare piece of ginger rhizome (the
thick knobbly bit you cook with) in potting soil with the newest (ie. smallest)
buds facing upward. Ginger enjoys filtered, not direct, sunlight in a warm
moist environment.
Before
long it will start to grow new shoots and roots. Once the plant is established
and you’re ready to harvest, pull up the whole plant, roots and all. Remove a
piece of the rhizome, and re-plant it to repeat the process.
Ginger
also makes a very attractive house-plant, so if you don’t use a lot of ginger
in your cooking you can still enjoy the lovely plant between harvests.
Potatoes
Re-growing
potatoes is a great way to avoid waste, as you can re-grow potatoes from any
old potato that has ‘eyes’ growing on it. Pick a potato that has robust eyes, and
cut it into pieces around 2 inches square, ensuring each piece has at least one
or two eyes. Leave the cut pieces to sit at room temperature for a day or two,
which allows the cut areas to dry and callous over. This prevents the potato
piece from rotting after you plant it, ensuring that the new shoots get the
maximum nutrition from each potato piece.
Potato
plants enjoy a high-nutrient environment, so it is best to turn compost through
your soil before you plant them. Plant your potato pieces around 8 inches deep
with the eye facing upward, and cover it with around 4 inches of soil, leaving
the other 4 inches empty. As your plant begins to grow and more roots appear,
add more soil. If your plant really takes off, mound more soil around the base
of the plant to help support its growth.
Garlic
You
can re-grow a plant from just a single clove – just plant it, root-end down, in
a warm position with plenty of direct sunlight. The garlic will root itself and
produce new shoots. Once established, cut back the shoots and the plant will
put all its energy into producing a tasty big garlic bulb. And like ginger, you
can repeat the process with your new bulb.
Onions
Onions
are one of the easiest vegetables to propagate. Just cut off the root end of
your onion, leaving a ½ inch of onion on the roots. Place it in a sunny
position in your garden and cover the top with soil. Ensure the soil is kept
moist. Onions prefer a warm sunny environment, so if you live in a colder
climate, keep them in pots and move them indoors during frostier months.
As
you use your home-grown onions, keep re-planting the root ends you cut off, and
you’ll never need to buy onions again.
Sweet Potatoes
When
planted, sweet potato will produce eye-shoots much like a potato. Bury all or
part of a sweet potato under a thin layer of soil in a moist sunny location.
New shoots will start to appear through the soil in a week or so. Once the
shoots reach around four inches in height, remove them and re-plant them,
allowing about 12 inches space between each plant. It will take around 4 months
for your sweet potatoes to be ready. In the meantime, keep an eye out for
slugs… they love sweet potatoes.
To
propagate sweet potatoes, it is essential to use an organic source since most
commercial growers spray their sweet potatoes to prevent them from shooting.
Mushroom
Mushrooms
can be propagated from cuttings, but they’re one of the more difficult vegies
to re-grow. They enjoy warm humidity and nutrient-rich soil, but have to
compete with other fungus for survival in that environment. Although it is not
their preferred climate, cooler environments give mushrooms a better chance of
winning the race against other fungi.
Prepare
a mix of soil and compost in a pot (not in the ground) so your re-growth is
portable and you can control the temperature of your mushroom. I have found
most success with a warm filtered light during the day and a cool temperature
at night. Just remove the head of the mushroom and plant the stalk in the soil,
leaving just the top exposed. In the right conditions, the base will grow a
whole new head. (In my experience, you’ll know fairly quickly if your mushroom
has taken to the soil as it will either start to grow or start to rot in the
first few days).
Pineapple
To
re-grow pineapples, you need to remove the green leafy piece at the top and
ensure that no fruit remains attached. Either hold the crown firmly by the
leaves and twist the stalk out, or you can cut the top off the pineapple and
remove the remaining fruit flesh with a knife (otherwise it will rot after
planting and may kill your plant). Carefully slice small, horizontal sections
from the bottom of the crown until you see root buds (the small circles on the
flat base of the stalk). Remove the bottom few layers of leaves leaving about
an inch base at the bottom of the stalk.
Plant
your pineapple crown in a warm and well drained environment. Water your plant
regularly at first, reducing to weekly watering once the plant is established.
You will see growth in the first few months but it will take around 2-3 years
before you are eating your own home-grown pineapples.
And one for
the kids….. ‘Pet’ Carrot Tops!!
I
call this a ‘pet’ because the plant that re-grows from planting a carrot top
will NOT produce edible carrots, only a new carrot plant. The vegetable itself
is a taproot which can’t re-grow once it has been removed from the plant. But
it makes an attractive flowering plant for the kitchen, and they’re easy and
lots of fun to grow…. for kids of all ages!
Cut
the top off your carrot, leaving about an inch of vegetable at the root. Stick
toothpicks into the sides of the carrot stump and balance it in a glass or jar.
Fill the glass with water so that the level reaches the bottom of the cutting.
Leave the glass in filtered, not direct, sunlight and ensure water is topped up
to keep the bottom of your cutting wet. You’ll see roots sprout in a few days,
and you can transplant your ‘pet’ carrot into soil after a week or so.
Your
success re-growing lovely fresh vegies from scrap may vary, depending on your
climate, the season, soil quality and sunlight available in your home or
garden. And some vegies just propagate easier than others do. In my experience,
a bit of trial and error is required, so don’t be afraid to do some
experimenting. Get your hands dirty. It’s lots of fun! And there’s nothing like
eating your own home-grown vegies.
http://soundofheart.org/galacticfreepress/content/16-foods-that%E2%80%99ll-re-grow-kitchen-scraps
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