16 Foods That’ll Re-Grow from Kitchen Scraps

Wake-Up World – by Andy Whiteley

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.

Please share your own experiences with the Wake Up World community by commenting below.

Peace.

Article Sources

wakeup-world.com/2012/06/21/four-foods-thatll-re-grow-from-kitchen-scraps

gardeningknowhow.com/children-in-the-garden/grow-carrot-tops

frugalliving.about.com/od/growyourownfoods/tp/How-To-Regrow-Foods

gardenofeaden.blogspot.com.au/2010/01/how-to-grow-sweet-potatoes-in-pots

gardenguides.com/88669-can-grow-mushrooms-store-bought-mushrooms

youtube.com/watch?v=2YIO3Zw5H6E

permies.com/t/2997/plants/Vegetables-You-Eat-Replant

tipnut.com/nifty-food-plants

gardenswag.com/2011/12/5-foods-you-can-grow-from-kitchen-scraps

gardenguides.com/117543-plant-cuttings-potatoes

organicauthority.com

tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-ginger

gardenswag.com/2011/12/5-foods-you-can-grow-from-kitchen-scraps

instructables.com/id/Grow-Onions-from-Discarded-Onion-Bottoms

17apart.com/2012/02/how-to-regrowing-bok-choy

rickswoodshopcreations.com/Pineapple/pineapple

About the Author

Andy is co-founder of Wake Up World and an avid amateur gardener.

http://wakeup-world.com/2012/10/15/16-foods-thatll-re-grow-from-kitchen-scraps/

13 thoughts on “16 Foods That’ll Re-Grow from Kitchen Scraps

  1. Missy, thanks for posting the article. After hearing you read it on your show tonight, I was looking forward to trying this. Now, I can read along as I plant my scraps.

    1. Thank you Katie and Les, you guys if we all can just take small steps to become more self sufficient, we not only learn how our food grows, but we connect with our food. I am learning how important this is. I am a grocery store generation, my grandpa was a farmer, growing up my family got half a calf every year from my grandpa. I never thought about it, but that was grass fed beef, no hormones, etc. As he got older, he stopped doing it, and everything was store bought. Prepping has taught me a lot, but I think the most important thing it has taught me is to rely on God, and ourselves. I truly love learning how to become more self reliant, it is actually fun. Some things work, some don’t, try and try again!! If you guys can afford it subscribe to the magazine, Mother Earth News, it is AWESOME, I have learned so much. They have a website, but having the print in hand is always better!!!!!

  2. Thank you so much for posting this Missy. I was taking notes, but now that I see the article is posted, I’ll be printing it and adding it to my recipe book for meals and tips. *Hugs*

    Edit to add: I know you and Bulldog think that ginger is gross, but if you try it in the right recipes, think Chinese dishes, it’s great. It’s also a great anti- inflammatory used in teas and such.

    Deb

    1. Thanks Deb!! Admin posted while I was talking. (Thanks Admin! 🙂 ) and I am glad they did!! I know when you read something it is hard to get everything someone says. Thank you so much for listening, we as women have to feed our troops, we need to be more vocal and get involved, we are in the trenches, too!!! When Steve was in Iraq for the second time, I would send 2 big boxes every 2 weeks full of food and supplies, his first shower was from the solar shower I sent, not the communist government that sent him, they could not even provide a shower. So always be prepared!!!!!!! Hugs back to you sweetie!! 🙂

      1. bless you for doing that for your own…..
        it meant so much, perhaps more than you will ever know…I have today something like 250 letters written to me which i saved, and did not set out to..;just came about, from my time in Vietnam…1969….and i will say…they are not replaceable…in any way….
        bless you and your husband…bulldog on this site…

  3. I agree Missy, we are in charge of feeding our troops. Right now in my case, it’s my kids. We experiment in cooking what we have on hand, and also from the garden and making everything as pleasing to the palate as possible. I’m in a crappy position where my husband is in a federal cage for the next 7 months, and I hope this doesn’t go hot sooner than that, but if it does, we are prepared. He did that for us, and he can rest assured that he raised some tough offspring. Did you read that open letter about the wife who used the enemies skull as a soap dish? My eldest daughter and I got quite the chuckle from that, and took mental notes. LOL

    I would have called in tonight, but I had a hard time connecting initially with my ipad, and tuned in on live 365 on my phone and didn’t want to miss the rest. Perhaps next week.

    Have a great night.

    Deb

    1. Deb, I’m sorry, girl you are strong!! Thank God for people like you, your husband and your children. I agree, I hope it does not go hot either. I remember raising my children alone, it was hard, but we made it, and you will too!!! The soap dish, we should all have one!! 🙂 good night, and if you ever need anything, please let me know!!

      1. Missy, you’ve heard the old cliche, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. We are. There was a time where I was on my own raising my kids when they where very young, and dad was not in the military. He was in WA state Iooking for work during the recession in the 90’s. I can remember how hard that can be on a mom (me) . My husband tries to this day to put us in that mind set that he is off somewhere to “put our minds at ease” but as you know, that doesn’t quite work out. He’s not in the military, but more like a military prison. We are good, because we have each other and we are strong.

        You have my email, contact me anytime. You and Bulldog are incredible people. Compatible and passionate. We can share ideas, from south to north east. You two sound a lot like me and my husband.

        Good night.

        Deb

        1. Hey Deb. Hang in there. My mom raise me and my sibling by herself. She did an awesome job caring for us. From what I can perceive, you are just as awesome.

        2. Deb, exactly, it will make you stronger. When we were going through our crap I hated it, but now I am grateful for it, because it did make us stronger. Hey if you ever need anything that I can send you just let me know! I can’t physically be there to help, but we do still have mail!! You too email anytime, for the most part I am working at the computer, except for today, I seriously want to be outside!! I stuck some more radish and carrot seeds in the ground, while it was still dark outside!! 🙂 Take care and let me know if I can help in any way!!!

Join the Conversation

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


*