Grow it from groceries!

Can you grow food from kitchen scraps and groceries? You might be surprised to learn that you can give your kitchen scraps a new life by regrowing them into full plants. See what you have in your kitchen and follow the directions below.

Leafy vegetables - Celery, lettuce, bok choy, cabbage

• Cut off the plant’s base so it’s at least 1 inch tall. • Place it cut side up in a shallow container and add ½ inch of water.

• Put on a sunny windowsill and change the water every couple of days.

• Use the leafy greens or plant in soil once a new root system emerges.

Bulb vegetables - Green onions, fennel

• Cut off the end with the roots and leave an inch of the vegetable.

• Place it root side down and place in ½ inch of water.

• Put on a sunny windowsill and change the water daily.

Fresh herbs - Basil, oregano, sage, thyme, mint

• Remove the lower leaves and place at least 6-8 inches of the herb in water.

• Place on a windowsill and change the water once a week.

• Use the leafy greens or plant in soil once a new root system emerges.

Root vegetables - Carrots, turnips, parsnips, beets

• Retaining the tops (where the leaves and stems join onto the root) from carrots, turnips, and other root crops will allow you to regrow them. Place the tops in a container of water and new, green tops should begin to grow in a matter of days.

• You can harvest and use the greens as they grow, or you can allow the roots to continue growing until the plants are ready to be transplanted back into the ground.

Potatoes and sweet potatoes

• Any chunky sections of potato peel or pieces of potato that include an ‘eye’ on them (those small indentations from which the shoots grow) can be replanted to grow new potato plants. Simply take your potato scraps, leave them to dry out slightly overnight and plant them in the soil with the eyes facing up.

• Cut sweet potato in half and suspend each half using toothpicks or twigs above a shallow container of water. Roots should begin to form after a few days.

Bonus: Use your regrown vegetables and herbs to try out a new recipe!

Sources: Discovery Education Inc.; www.ruralsprout.com Shortly thereafter, you should see sprouts growing out of the top of the pieces. Once the sprouts grow to around 4 inches in height, nip them off and place their ends in a container of water. Roots will grow from the base of these shoots. As soon as the roots are growing, you can plant them in the soil.