If you’ve always wanted to set up a mini green house in your kitchen, re-growing vegetables and herbs from scraps is a great way to start. Not only does this help save on grocery costs, it also lets you cut down on waste.
Re-growing kitchen scraps isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Most of the plants in this post only require water and sunlight by a window, while others can be transferred into soil for maximum effect. If you have the space for a small outdoor garden, you can even plant your scraps outside.
Green Onions, Scallions, Leeks, and Fennel
Simply cut the white root end, place in a glass of water with half the roots submerged, and set it by a sunny window. As new leaves sprout, cut off what you need and leave the roots in water to keep it growing. Don’t forget to replace the water once a week.
Garlic Sprouts
Garlic cloves will start to sprout and lose most of their flavor when left unused for too long. Instead of throwing them away, pull out the sprouting cloves and place them in a small jar with just enough water to cover the bottom. The cloves will start to grow roots within two days, while the sprouts will rise a few inches. The initial sprouts will taste bitter, so let them grow to at least three inches tall before snipping off a third of them for cooking.
Lemongrass
This is similar to re-growing green onions. Just place the root ends in a glass of water and wait until the grass is about 12 inches long before trimming. You can also transfer the plant to a small pot of soil to let it fully mature.
Romaine Lettuce, Cabbage, Bok Choy, and Celery
You can grow new leaves from the discarded roots by saving about an inch of the root end of the plant. Place in a glass or bowl with water, keeping the roots or base submerged. Keep it in a sunny part of the house, and remember to change the water daily. You can also plant them in soil to achieve a better effect.
Basil
Salvage your store-bought basil before they become soggy and useless. Using a sharp knife or cutter, cut about 3/4 of the stem, leaving 5-6 leaves on the top part. Place in a jar of water and in one week, you’ll see the roots start to grow. Transfer it to a pot with soil and harvest as needed.
Garlic
You only need one clove of garlic to reproduce an entire head. Start by breaking apart cloves, taking care not to damage the base. If this part is damaged, the garlic won’t grow. Plant them into the soil, base down and tips pointing upwards. As soon as green stalks shoot out, cut them off so that the plant can focus on growing into a garlic bulb.
Onions
Cut the root end, leaving half an inch of the onion. Place in a bowl of water, let the roots grow, and then transfer to a pot of soil. Remember to place the plant in a sunny spot and keep the soil moist by watering it regularly.
Ginger
Select a piece of ginger with buds and break it into chunks, then soak them overnight in water. The next day, plant them — buds down — into a large pot of soil and water thoroughly. Place in a warm, sunny spot as ginger likes heat, but not direct sunlight. Cover with plastic or a cloche to keep the humidity levels up. Once you’re ready to harvest, pull the whole ginger out including the roots. Break a few pieces and repeat the re-growing process.
Next time you end up with kitchen scraps, save them for re-growing instead of tossing them into the compost or garbage bin. This way, you’ll not only save on money and energy, you’ll also have the benefit of knowing where exactly your food comes from.
You might also enjoy: Using Kitchen Scraps in Useful (and Tasty) Ways
For another, excellent blog on regrowing from scraps, we recommend this one.
Jennifer Lutz has written four other articles featured on Pantry Paratus, including one on how to raise an indoor garden. She is a regular contributor for ChristmasTreeMarket.com; we enjoy her expertise in home decorating, so be sure to read her column.