It surprises some people to learn, but there are several foods vegetables and herbs you can regrow from their own scraps. If you’ve got the patience for it, regrowing food from scraps can not only be a fun and rewarding practice, but it can help you cut down on foods waste and save you money too.
Related: 4 Easy Ways To Get More Fruits & Veggies In Your Diet
Keep in mind that if you’re planning to regrow food from store-bought produce, you’ll almost always get better results from using organic produce versus the conventional stuff. Some conventionally-grown produce is treated to prevent sprouting, which makes further growth impossible.
5 Foods You Can Regrow From Scraps
1. Green Onions
Green onions are arguably the easiest and most popular vegetable to regrow. After you’re doing using the tops and middle part of your green onions in your cooking, set aside the root sections.
To start them regrowing, trim them down to about 1 inch above the roots, then set them in a glass of shallow water in a sunny area. Refresh the water as needed and watch your green onions grow!
2. Romaine Lettuce, Cabbage, And Bok Choy
Grow another round of romaine leaves by placing the bottom of the cut heart into a bowl of warm water. You won’t end up with a whole new head, but you’ll get enough leaves to build a few sandwiches.
Use the same process to regrow cabbage and Bok Choy leaves too.
3. Celery
Trim the celery down to about an inch or two from the base. Place the base in a bowl of water and leave it somewhere that it can get a decent amount of sunlight.
As new leaves begin to sprout from the middle, give it a week or so to increase in thickness before transferring it into a pot of soil.
4. Basil, Mint, And Cilantro
Herbs are some of the simplest foods you can regrow from scraps. Start by removing the bottom leaves from the stems, but keep the top ones intact. Soak the stems with the cut side down in warm water.
When the new roots begin to sprout, enjoy your herbs or transfer them into a pot of soil and let the plant flourish.
5. Carrot Tops
When you buy carrots with the tops intact, cut the topmost part of a carrot off with the top still attached. You can regrow the carrot tops from this little piece of carrot!
Start by soaking the little carrot piece in a shallow bowl of water for one week, then transfer it to soil once roots start to form. The tops will continue to grow beautiful greens that make a delicious addition to salads and pestos.
BONUS: Pineapple
While you certainly won’t be growing a pineapple right away, you can grow a nice new houseplant in just a few weeks. And you’re a real plant whisperer, you can end up with a homegrown pineapple in a few years!
The trick is to grab a hold of the pineapple crown by the leaves, twist, and pull it off so the stalk is still attached. Then remove some of the lower leaves to expose the stalk, making sure there is no fruit flesh attached that will rot the stalk.
Place the pineapple crown in a glass of water and allow new roots to sprout, which usually takes about three weeks. At that point, transfer the rooting crown to a pot with fast-draining soil in a sunny location.
Do you regrow any foods from scraps at home?
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