Regrow Vegetables to Reduce Waste, Save Money
2022-10-04
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1Gardening is a natural way to reuse leftover materials.
2For example, using leftover plant material to enrich soil, also called composting, is a good way to reuse uneaten food.
3Growing food from parts of plants not used in cooking also reduces waste and saves money.
4Instead of throwing away or composting the bottoms or tops of vegetables when preparing them, you can grow them into leafy greens or other produce right in front of your window.
5Produce like beets, celery, scallions and leeks, and romaine lettuce can be regrown in this way.
6It is important to note that these methods are not likely to produce plants that will grow well in your garden.
7Regrowing plants is not a good way to replace young, growing seedlings.
8But they are likely to make enough greens for side dish to add to a dinner or two. And regrowing plants can be a fun project.
9Leftover produce will grow best with a lot of sunlight.
10Use slightly warm water and replace it every day or two to avoid the growth of bacteria.
11Do not worry if the part of the plant under water becomes a bit slimy.
12However, if the whole plant starts to turn brown, throw it in the compost and start over.
13Beets are a good plant to regrow because they provide two side dishes: the large root and the tasty greens.
14You cannot regrow a beetroot indoors from a cutting, but you can regrow more leafy greens.
15To do so, cut off the top four centimeters or so from a beetroot and place it cut-side down in a dish that contains just enough water to keep the cut end under water.
16New leaves will regrow from the top within a few days.
17And you can start harvesting them in two weeks or so.
18This method also works with the similar vegetables, parsnips and turnips.
19For celery, cut eight centimeters off the bottom of a head of the plant.
20Then, cut off a very thin piece from the very bottom of the eight centimeter piece.
21Place it right-side up in a container and pour in five centimeters of water.
22New growth will appear from the center in just a few days.
23For scallions and leeks, cut the white part from the bottom of the stalk.
24Then place it root-side-down in a container holding 2.5 centimeters of water.
25If the stalk outgrows the container, move it to a larger one.
26New growth will be harvestable in about two weeks.
27For romaine lettuce, cut eight centimeters off the bottom of a head of the plant, then remove its outermost leaves.
28Place the eight-centimeter "heart" in a container to which you have added a little over a centimeter of water.
29Within a week, a small growth will appear from its center.
30As it grows, it is normal for some of the heart's outer leaves to turn brown.
31Remove them.
32When the center part is large enough, cut off that part and enjoy.
33Then, just wait for more to grow.
34I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Gardening is a natural way to reuse leftover materials. For example, using leftover plant material to enrich soil, also called composting, is a good way to reuse uneaten food. 2Growing food from parts of plants not used in cooking also reduces waste and saves money. 3Instead of throwing away or composting the bottoms or tops of vegetables when preparing them, you can grow them into leafy greens or other produce right in front of your window. Produce like beets, celery, scallions and leeks, and romaine lettuce can be regrown in this way. 4It is important to note that these methods are not likely to produce plants that will grow well in your garden. Regrowing plants is not a good way to replace young, growing seedlings. But they are likely to make enough greens for side dish to add to a dinner or two. And regrowing plants can be a fun project. 5Leftover produce will grow best with a lot of sunlight. Use slightly warm water and replace it every day or two to avoid the growth of bacteria. Do not worry if the part of the plant under water becomes a bit slimy. However, if the whole plant starts to turn brown, throw it in the compost and start over. 6Beets 7Beets are a good plant to regrow because they provide two side dishes: the large root and the tasty greens. You cannot regrow a beetroot indoors from a cutting, but you can regrow more leafy greens. 8To do so, cut off the top four centimeters or so from a beetroot and place it cut-side down in a dish that contains just enough water to keep the cut end under water. 9New leaves will regrow from the top within a few days. And you can start harvesting them in two weeks or so. This method also works with the similar vegetables, parsnips and turnips. 10Celery 11For celery, cut eight centimeters off the bottom of a head of the plant. Then, cut off a very thin piece from the very bottom of the eight centimeter piece. Place it right-side up in a container and pour in five centimeters of water. New growth will appear from the center in just a few days. 12Scallions and leeks 13For scallions and leeks, cut the white part from the bottom of the stalk. Then place it root-side-down in a container holding 2.5 centimeters of water. If the stalk outgrows the container, move it to a larger one. New growth will be harvestable in about two weeks. 14Romaine lettuce 15For romaine lettuce, cut eight centimeters off the bottom of a head of the plant, then remove its outermost leaves. Place the eight-centimeter "heart" in a container to which you have added a little over a centimeter of water. 16Within a week, a small growth will appear from its center. As it grows, it is normal for some of the heart's outer leaves to turn brown. Remove them. When the center part is large enough, cut off that part and enjoy. Then, just wait for more to grow. 17I'm Gregory Stachel. 18Jessica Damiano reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 19________________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21dish - n. a shallow container that you cook or serve food in 22slime - n. a thick, slippery liquid 23stalk - n. a thick or tall stem of a plant 24________________________________________________________________________ 25What do you think of growing vegetables? 26We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 27Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.