Growing edibles from scraps that would otherwise be heading for the compost bin.
You don’t even have to leave your kitchen to create some edible delights at home. Just have a look in the crisper drawer or kitchen bench. Carrot, sweet potato, beetroot, turnip, parsnip, celery, onion, lettuce, lemon grass, fennel, spring onion and onion off cuts… the list goes on.
All of these edibles can be re-grown to produce some form of edible crop. Quite often thought of as the inedible part, the tops of some of our favourite edibles can be given a new lease on life and produce an edible crop along the way.
To add to the aesthetics of these indoor crops use decorative saucers and small bowls and pots.
Leafy greens: Pak choy, Wong Bok, bok choy, celery, cos lettuce are easy to re-grow, just cut off the plant base (at about 2.5cm), which you would normally discard. Place this cut side up into a shallow saucer of water about 1cm deep.
Place the saucer on a sunny windowsill or brightly lit location. Refresh the water on a regular basis and harvest once the new growth starts to flourish.
Bulb vegetables: These can be treated exactly the same as the leafy greens. Cut off the end with the tiny roots about 2cm tall and place it root end down into 1cm of water. Be sure to cover the roots but not the top. This works well for leeks, fennel, lemongrass and spring onions. For large onions it’s best to plant these directly into a pot of potting mix to avoid rotting, be sure to keep the top of the onion exposed when planting.
Root crops: Turnips, beetroots, parsnips and carrots tops can be placed into water or planted once the roots have been eaten. Normally discarded, the tops will quickly produce edible green shoots that can be used in salads, sautéed, stir-fries and more.
Just cut the tops off, leaving 1cm of the root attached. Place the scrap into shallow water cut side down and leaf end up.
** Note: root crops won’t produce new roots even if planted into soil or potting mix.
All of these can be planted out into pots or the garden if desired.
Re-growing reduces food waste, saves money, looks decorative and is a whole heap of fun.
Other veggie scraps that can be planted into the garden or pot to create new plants and food crops are: Thick potato peelings, shooting sweet potatoes, citrus and avocado seeds, pineapple tops, shooting ginger and garlic. There are also quite a few herbs that will easily strike in a vase of water on the windowsill; basil, mint, watercress, and rosemary just to name a few.
Keep reading more from Claire Bickle, our Better Earth Ambassador in Better Earth Secret.
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