If you have ever wondered how you could cut your grocery bill while cutting back on food scraps, here is an idea for you and the whole family. Why not regrow your vegetables? That’s right, you can regrow many favorite vegetables from the discarded pieces you won’t eat. Not only will you be doing something to reduce cost and waste, it’s also a fun way to involve your children and get them interested in healthy food. It’s also good winter fun.
The follow are a few of the vegetables that can regrow themselves with just a little help from you:
1. Lettuce
You can regrow this vegetable from its own leaves. Place the leaves in approximately one inch of water. Over the next four days, take a spray bottle full of water and mist the leaves. Once roots begin growing, plant the new lettuce in pots full of soil, or in the ground. Lettuce needs sunlight, so make sure you start somewhere like a windowsill or bright room.
2. Celery
This is one of the easiest vegetables to regrow, and fun for kids to try, too. Take the base of the celery and place it in a bowl. Put warm water in the bowl but don’t cover the whole plant. Place bowl in a sunny area, or direct sunlight. In a week, leaves will start and you should take the plant and put it in soil so the celery can grow fully. Keep the water fresh.
3. Potatoes
When you put your hand into the potato bag and feel the little leaves and bumps on your potatoes, don’t through them out. Those offshoots are called eyes, and they can be used to regrow potatoes. Take the potatoes with eyes and leave them out to dry for 12 hours.
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Cut off a two-inch section of potato with eyes, try for two or three eyes per piece, and place it in a four-inch-deep hole, in a pot of soil or garden. Make sure the eyes are facing up. Within a month, there should be some new growth.
4. Garlic
This healthy vegetable is not only good for you, but you can actually grow it over and over. All you need is a clove of garlic which has green in the middle. Take the clove and cut the shoots off of it. Plant it in a large pot, or in your vegetable garden. Garlic needs a sunny area and good soil. If you plant it outside, it is best to plant during late fall, and you will have beautiful fresh garlic the following summer.
5. Onions
You can regrow onions either indoors or outdoors. Make sure you have some good soil and a sun-filled area. Take the root of the onion and place in water, similar to the way you would with celery. Green onions are done the same way; use the base of the onion and place it in a bowl with a little bit of water.
6. Carrots
Carrots are another fun way to gain children’s interest in their food. Cut the tops off of an existing carrot and place it in water, just enough to encourage growth. Keep the water fresh. Once you can see green tops and roots start, take the carrot and plant it in some good soil in a pot or garden.
7. Bean sprouts
This little nutritious vegetable is another one you can regrow. Take one tablespoon of dried bean sprouts and put them in a container. Add some water and let sit overnight. Rinse them in the morning.
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Place beans in a container with no water, cover with a towel and rinse every morning. Repeat this routine until you see new growth. You can then let the beans grow until they get to the size you want them to be. Remember to keep the beans in a warm, but dark area. This will keep the beans from becoming bitter.
There is even a fruit you can regrow – pineapple. You don’t have to be in the tropics to grow pineapples. Once you cut the top off the pineapple, keep it to regrow. Take the top and place it over a warm-water-filled container. Change water often and keep warm. Roots will form in a week, and the plant is then ready to replant in soil. You may or may not get another fruit from the regrown pineapple, but you will grow a beautiful plant anyway.
There are other vegetables that you can regrow. Turnips, beets and parsnips can be restarted like you do with carrots. Cabbage and Bok Choy can be started just like celery. Vegetables aren’t the only food you can regrow. Try some herbs. When working with herbs, keep the roots intact. Start by placing the roots in a cup of water, keeping the water fresh. Once there are new shoots, make sure they are strong before planting in either a pot or your garden.
There are countless benefits to growing and regrowing your own vegetables. It’s great winter, indoor fun. Start a garden, or experiment, and enjoy the harvest throughout the year. It can be a healthy experiment for the whole family.
What vegetables do you regrow? Share you suggestion and tips in the section below: