Regrow Vegetables to Reduce Waste, Save Money

Regrow Vegetables to Reduce Waste, Save Money

Gardening is a natural way to reuse leftover¹ materials. For example, using leftover plant material to enrich soil, also called composting, is a good way to reuse uneaten food.

Growing food from parts of plants not used in cooking also reduces waste and saves money.

Instead 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 beets², celery, scallions and leeks³, and romaine lettuce⁴ can be regrown in this way.

It 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 seedlings⁵. 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.

Leftover 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.

Beets

Beets 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.

To 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.

New 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 turnips⁶.

Celery

For 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.

Scallions and leeks

For 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 outgrows⁷ the container, move it to a larger one. New growth will be harvestable in about two weeks.

Romaine lettuce

For romaine lettuce, cut eight centimeters off the bottom of a head of the plant, then remove its outermost⁸ leaves. Place the eight-centimeter "heart" in a container to which you have added a little over a centimeter of water.

Within 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.

Words in This Story

dish – n. a shallow container that you cook or serve food in

slime – n. a thick, slippery liquid

stalk – n. a thick or tall stem of a plant

1 leftover   

n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的

参考例句：

• These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
• Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。

2 beets   

甜菜( beet的名词复数 )； 甜菜根； （因愤怒、难堪或觉得热而）脸红

参考例句：

• Beets are Hank's favorite vegetable. 甜菜根是汉克最爱吃的蔬菜。
• In this enlargement, barley, alfalfa, and sugar beets can be differentiated. 在这张放大的照片上，大麦，苜蓿和甜菜都能被区分开。

3 leeks   

韭葱( leek的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Leeks and potatoes go well together in a soup. 汤中放韭菜和土豆尝起来很对味。
• When I was young I grew some leeks in a pot. 小时候我曾在花盆里种了些韭葱。

4 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

5 seedlings   

n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ninety-five per cent of the new seedlings have survived. 新栽的树苗95%都已成活。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In such wet weather we must prevent the seedlings from rotting. 这样的阴雨天要防止烂秧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 turnips   

芜青( turnip的名词复数 )； 芜菁块根； 芜菁甘蓝块根； 怀表

参考例句：

• Well, I like turnips, tomatoes, eggplants, cauliflowers, onions and carrots. 噢，我喜欢大萝卜、西红柿、茄子、菜花、洋葱和胡萝卜。 来自魔法英语-口语突破（高中）
• This is turnip soup, made from real turnips. 这是大头菜汤，用真正的大头菜做的。

7 outgrows   

长[发展] 得超过（某物）的范围( outgrow的第三人称单数 )； 长[发展]得不能再要（某物）； 长得比…快； 生长速度超过

参考例句：

• This variety of tomato outgrows all others. 这种品种的西红柿生长得比所有其他品种快。
• That boy outgrows his clothes every few months. 那男孩生长发育很快，每隔几个月他的衣服就穿不下了。

8 outermost   

adj.最外面的，远离中心的

参考例句：

• He fired and hit the outermost ring of the target.他开枪射中了靶子的最外一环。
• The outermost electron is shielded from the nucleus.原子核对最外层电子的作用受到屏蔽。