Grow Food from Food Scraps

Growing food doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or use a lot of space. It can be as simple as using your scraps of food that you’d otherwise compost (notice I said “compost” versus throw away), a few containers or jars, and a sunny windowsill. Some plants, like celery and potatoes, are still “alive” after being harvested, washed, and put on the grocery shelf, meaning they can reproduce more food. Yes, this means that your groceries can be recycled, regrown, and make it back on your plate! So, before tossing your food scraps into the compost bin try tossing them into some water or dirt and watch them grow!

Check out the quick tips below of food scraps I’m currently recycling into more food. You can also download a free corresponding activity and coloring sheets for kids over at my shop.

what to expect

The Information below Includes directions on how to get started with setting up several different food scraps In containers and water for growing. I used glass jars and the food scraps that were on hand. There's no need to buy jars, just use any container you have available. At the end of the document are several other food scraps to use for regrowing In the case those are In your cupboard. There are always variations when growing food (just like when cooking food!) so feel free to create a variation of your own. Finally, I have some tips on what you can expect to see happen and some of my favorite ways for using and cooking with the food Item. Have fun growing some food of your own!

celery

Directions: Cut the bottom 3-4 inches of a celery stalk off so that the base area where the stalks attach remains intact; place the cut piece (base first) in a container or use toothpicks/skewers to hold above the base of the container;  fill with water so that 1-2 inches of the cut piece is submerged; place the container on a windowsill that gets some sun; change water daily or as needed

What to expect: You’ll first see new leaves sprout and over time new stalks will grow from those leafy areas; you should start to see new leaves start to grow within 3-4 days; new stalks will take several weeks to grow; harvest as needed (leaves or stalks)

Uses: celery leaf pesto, celery leaf salad, celery salt, celery juice, stir-fries, dips, soups

lettuce

Directions: Cut the bottom 2-3 inches of a head of a lettuce (romaine or bok choy are great options) off so that the base area where the leaves attach remains; place the cut piece in a container or use toothpicks/skewers to hold up from touching the bottom; add water to cover the cut piece about 1 inch; place on a windowsill that gets some sun; change water daily or as needed (if it gets yellow or foggy, its time to change)

What to expect: roots will start to sprout off the base of the lettuce stalk and new leaves will begin to grow; you should start to see signs of new leaves within 3-4 days, it can take up to 7-10 days before leaves will be ready to harvest; harvest leaves as needed (this is called “cut and come again” technique so that the plant continues to grow)

Uses: salads, sandwiches, wraps

potato

Directions: cut the potato in half (for sweet potatoes some people leave it whole) and poke toothpicks or wooden skewers through the middle half (I used one large wooden skewer but having four-points will help with better balance), toothpicks/skewers will need to be long enough to reach the edge of the dish you are using; place the potato in the center of the dish so that the toothpicks/skewers rest on the edge of the dish; fill with water so it covers about 1-2 inches of the potato but doesn’t submerge it; place in a windowsill or area that gets sun; change water daily or as needed (if its foggy, its time to change the water)

Once the “eyes” have grown tubers (stems) that are 5-7 inches long you can transfer them to dirt to keep growing; using either the whole sprouted potato or cutting of individual tubers (stems) with a piece of the potato still attached; bury the tuber in dirt with 2-3 inches of the leaves above the surface; use a container or ground area that will give the potato some space to grow (potatoes grow out and down) and good drainage (for fun try a large paper bag for 2-3 tubers or an old tire for 4-5 tubers); place the container in a spot on your patio or yard that will stay cooler so that the roots don’t get too warm; water regularly; once the stems grow tall and turn brown than the plant is ready to harvest but you can always dig with your hand to check the growth or harvest some early (we harvest as we find the size large enough)

What to expect: The “eyes” (or little indents) of the potato will sprout and grow tubers (“stems”) and the base will grow roots; you should see signs of tubers sprouting within 2-3 days; potatoes are ready for transplanting to dirt when the tubers reach 5-7 inches tall

Uses: mashed potatoes, potato salad, French fries, herb roasted

herbs (cilantro & parsley)

Directions: trim stems leaving about 4-5 inches; if desired bunch and tie the stems together (I do this so I could “float” the stems versus having them touch the bottom of the container; place in container and fill with water to cover about 2-3 inches of the stems; make sure the leaves/tops of the plant are above the surface of the water; change water as needed (if it is foggy, its time for a change); once the roots are 2-3 inches long the plant (as single stems or as a bunch) can be transplanted into dirt and will grow a new plant; bury the new roots and 2-3 inches of the stem; water regularly keeping the soil moist.

What to expect: any wilted-looking leaves should perk up within 24 hours; roots will form in about 2-3 days and continue growing (you want the roots to get around 3 inches long); after transplanting the stems will grow into a new plant and you will begin seeing new shoots; harvest as needed from the base leaves

Uses: garnish for beverages or soups or other dishes, dried as seasoning, add fresh to dishes (Other herbs to grow from food scraps: mint, basil, scallions)

garlic

Directions: break apart the garlic bulb into individual cloves (peel if desired but not necessary);  place the cloves in a container with the tips up (I used a rock in the middle to hold them up straight); fill the container around ½ - 1 inch of water but do not submerge the cloves; place in a windowsill that gets sun; add water daily as needed; you can use these cloves to grow garlic scapes or to transplant and grow a new bulb; if growing for garlic scapes then you can keep in water the whole time (you may need a larger container as the roots grow), harvest the scapes as desired (I wait to harvest mine until it’s at least 10-14 inches long); if growing for transplant to dirt wait until the sprout (scape) has grown about 6 inches and then bury in dirt so that 3-4 inches of the sprout (scape) is above the surface, it can take 8-9 months (depending on your climate) for a clove to grow a full bulb, garlic is ready to harvest when the scape turns brown 

What to expect: the individual cloves will sprout what is called a “scape” on the top and the base will begin to grow roots; the scape will continue to grow and can be used to cook with or as the stem for transplanting

Uses: chop and sauté the scapes and add to pasta or stir-frys, roast the cloves, dry and make your own garlic powder

ginger

Directions: cut in pieces so that they “eye” (pointy part) is on the top side of the cut piece; place the pieces in a container with the eyes pointing up and the cut part pointing down (I used a skewer and poked through the centers so that the bases were all the same height with the eyes pointing up); add water so that the base of the pieces are covered ½ - 1 inch but not submerged; place the container in an area that gets sun; change the water daily as needed (this one tends to get foggy and need more frequent water changes); once stems are about six inches tall and roots have formed the ginger can be placed in dirt, covered with 2-3 inches of soil, and watered regularly to grow new rhizomes (you can also continue to grow the cut piece hydroponically); whether in dirt or water, it can take anywhere from 4-8 months before the new rhizome is ready for harvesting.

What to expect: sprouts will grow out of the “eye” of the ginger and roots will grow from the cut base; the sprouts will continue to grow into tall stems

Uses: dried and made into powder, candied, fresh and grated, DIY ginger beer

mushroom

Directions: pull the stems off the head of the mushroom and cut into ¼ - ½ inch sections; fill a container with 1-2 inches of dirt and place some of the mushroom pieces on the surface; layer another 1-2 inches of dirt and place some more of the mushroom pieces on the surface; continue layering until all mushroom pieces are gone and the last layer is dirt; spritz or mist with water every couple days to keep dirt damp; store the container in a darker area that will stay around 70 degrees and keep any lids off to let airflow;

What to expect: It can take up to 4 weeks for the mushroom to grow and up to 20 days for harvest; patience at the early stage is the key when growing mushrooms

Uses: pizza topping, pasta ingredient, roasted, sautéed, grilled

*bonus*

Try growing these food from food scraps out too!

onions

carrot greens

avocado

pineapple

bok choy