{"id":4084,"date":"2026-10-15T21:03:04","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T21:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.org\/LIFE\/?p=4084"},"modified":"2026-10-15T21:03:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T21:03:04","slug":"kitchen-scraps-regrown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.org\/LIFE\/kitchen-scraps-regrown\/","title":{"rendered":"Kitchen Scraps: Regrown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Regrowing foods is a double win: Not only will you save a few dollars here and there, but growing even a small amount of your own food is deeply satisfying. Here are a dozen foods that are eager to sprout again, if you\u2019ll just give them the opportunity.<\/p>\n

1. Green Onions (Scallions)<\/h2>\n

Green onions are one of the easiest and most productive vegetables to regrow. All you need to do is save an inch or so of the white ends and place them in a narrow glass with enough water to cover the roots. Place the glass on a windowsill that gets direct light for part of the day, and the scallions will take it from there.<\/p>\n

You will start to see new shoots in just a few days. (It\u2019s fun for kids, or anyone else who craves near-instant gratification.) Within a couple of weeks, they will be big enough that you can start pinching or snipping them<\/a> to use on salads, soups, and other dishes. Remember to change the water every few days, so it doesn\u2019t get foul, and those green onions will keep producing for months.<\/p>\n

2. Romaine Lettuce<\/h2>\n

Romaine is a truly versatile lettuce; its juicy stems offer an iceberg-like crunch, while its broad green leaves work just as well as leaf lettuce in most recipes. You can even use the leaves as cups for tuna or chicken salad, or as low-carb wraps.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re keen to regrow vegetables from scraps, romaine is eager to oblige. Save at least an inch or two of the stem end and place it in a shallow dish with a little water (even a peanut butter<\/a> jar lid will do). New leaves will grow from the crown almost immediately, and you can start harvesting the outer leaves one at a time as soon as they reach baby lettuce size. It\u2019s a method that many gardeners, including myself, use for outdoor lettuce.<\/p>\n

3. Celery<\/h2>\n

Celery can be a bit finicky to grow from seed, but it\u2019s a much more willing participant if you start with the stump of a store-bought bunch. As with romaine, you can regrow celery just by putting the crown (the base, or root end) into a shallow dish of water and giving it some sunshine. You\u2019ll start to see new growth within days, and you can begin harvesting the tender young stems \u2014 from the outside in \u2014 whenever you choose.<\/p>\n

Related: How To Store Celery So It Stays Super Crisp <\/a><\/div>\n

As a chef, I can tell you these new shoots are tender and mild, and lack the irritating strings you often get with mature celery. Don\u2019t sleep on the leaves, either; I regularly use them as a garnish or salad ingredient, similar to parsley.<\/p>\n

4. Garlic<\/h2>\n

Garlic<\/a> has a natural tendency to sprout in spring, so you don\u2019t need to encourage it a whole lot. If you have a bulb that\u2019s begun to put out green shoots, it\u2019s already past the point where its flavor and texture are at their best. Instead of using it now, separate the cloves and plant them individually in 3-inch pots filled with normal potting soil. Or, if you\u2019re using a larger container, space the cloves 4 to 8 inches apart. A little soil, a consistent watering schedule, and six hours of direct sunlight per day are all they need to grow and flourish.<\/p>\n

The bulb is ready to harvest when the stem yellows, but you can use it as green garlic as soon as it\u2019s large enough. (Green or immature garlic hasn\u2019t divided into bulbs yet, but offers a zesty garlic flavor.) You can also transplant the cloves to your garden, if you have one. Hardneck varieties will produce a woody seed stem with a curved scape at the end; you should harvest and eat them when they appear. The scapes themselves aren\u2019t woody, delivering a boost of garlicky goodness.<\/p>\n

5. Leafy Herbs<\/h2>\n

Leafy herbs, such as cilantro, parsley, mint, and basil, are quite delicate and often go bad before you can use them up<\/a>. Storing them in a glass of water, away from light and loosely covered with a plastic bag, helps them last longer and even continue to grow.<\/p>\n

To propagate leafy herbs, cut or pinch a small stem or even a large, healthy leaf from your chosen herb and put it in a small glass of water. Most leafy herbs will set roots, and you can either keep them in water or transfer them to soil as they grow.<\/p>\n

6. Ginger<\/h2>\n

Ginger is a versatile plant to grow because it\u2019s useful both fresh and dried. The next time you buy a hand of ginger, set aside a 1 1\/2- to 2-inch piece with a couple of visible buds. Plant this piece in a large pot (at least 12 inches wide and deep) filled with good soil, ideally with a bit of compost or manure worked into it.<\/p>\n

Keep it warm and give it plenty of light (remember, it\u2019s a tropical plant), and eight to 10 months later, you can dig it up and harvest a whole new hand. If you hold back another piece to replant, you can repeat this process almost indefinitely. Bonus tip: You can do the same with ginger\u2019s pricier cousins, turmeric and galangal.<\/p>\n

7. Rosemary<\/h2>\n

While leafy herbs are the easiest to regrow, you can also propagate woody herbs<\/a>. Rosemary is often the most cooperative: Choose a nice, healthy-looking stem that\u2019s 4 to 6 inches long, snip it just above a leaf node, remove the needles from the bottom 2 inches, and place it in water. Once it develops roots, transplant it into soil and let the plant do its thing.<\/p>\n

Rosemary is a perennial in warm climates, so you can transplant it outside if you wish. You can also keep it in a pot and move it indoors when the weather turns cold.<\/p>\n

8. Potatoes<\/h2>\n

Growing new potatoes from old potatoes is a slam-dunk because that\u2019s how they\u2019re normally<\/em> grown. There are a couple of catches, though. One is that supermarket potatoes are sometimes treated to prevent sprouting, which is good for storage but bad for growing. Another is that ordinary potato peels aren\u2019t thick enough to feed a new plant as it grows, so you need to take a fairly deep cut (think pub-night potato skins).<\/p>\n

The solution to both problems is to regrow potatoes that are already sprouting, since they aren\u2019t the best for eating anyway. Cut the potatoes into 1 1\/2- to 2-inch pieces, with a couple of sprouts or buds on each, and let them sit uncovered, cut-side up, for a day or two to scab over. Then plant them in garden beds<\/a> or large containers<\/a>. By midsummer, you can pull new, or baby, potatoes from the soil for potato salad or grilling. And by the end of summer, you\u2019ll have full-sized spuds<\/a> to harvest.<\/p>\n

9. Bok Choy<\/h2>\n

If you like to cook stir-fries, ramen, or nutrient-dense<\/a> side dishes, you\u2019re probably familiar with bok choy (also called pak choi) or its close relative, baby or Shanghai bok choy. They\u2019re closely related to cabbage and will cheerfully regrow for you with minimal effort.<\/p>\n

Related: Fruits and Vegetables You Should Never Store Together <\/a><\/div>\n

Place the root end in a shallow tray of water, and \u2014 much like celery or romaine \u2014 new leaves will quickly begin to grow. Harvest the leaves from the outside in once they\u2019re large enough, and the plant will keep producing new ones for months.<\/p>\n

10. Sweet Potatoes<\/h2>\n

Sweet potatoes are pretty easy to regrow if one has lingered until it\u2019s past its prime as a vegetable. Poke three or four toothpicks into it around its lengthwise \u201cequator,\u201d then pop one end in a pickle jar or Mason jar of water, using the toothpicks to keep only the bottom half of the potato submerged. Green shoots will start to grow from the top, and when they\u2019re about 4 inches long, you can snap them off and root them in water.<\/p>\n

Once the green shoots develop roots, transplant them into your garden or a large planter (a single sweet potato plant requires a 10-gallon container) on a deck or patio, and then harvest them in late summer or early autumn.<\/p>\n

11. Onions or Shallots<\/h2>\n

Onions and shallots<\/a>, much like green onions, are easy to regrow. In fact, they will try to sprout whether you want them to or not. One way to make use of a sprouted onion is to put the root end in a shallow dish of water, and snip the green stems as they emerge for use as a green onion replacement. Alternatively, you can plant them, burying the onion bulbs just below the soil line with the shoots sticking out, and let them grow a whole new onion (or shallot) for use later in the year.<\/p>\n

One thing to be aware of is that the onions might bolt, or go to seed. If you see a woody seed stem develop, either harvest the onion immediately or allow it to go to seed completely and save those seeds<\/a> for next year\u2019s garden.<\/p>\n

12. Root Vegetables<\/h2>\n

Most root vegetables, from turnips and rutabagas to carrots and parsnips, will try to regrow if given half a chance. Usually, your best bet is to cut the leafy ends from the vegetable, leaving a generous piece to provide nourishment, and let it scab over (like a potato) for a day or two. Then put it in water or soil, root-side down, and give it plenty of light.<\/p>\n

Related: An Easy Trick To Revive Carrots That Have Gone Limp <\/a><\/div>\n

Leaves will soon begin growing, and for many root vegetables \u2014 turnips, beets, rutabagas \u2014\u00a0harvesting them for fresh greens is a good option. Carrot greens aren\u2019t used as often, but they\u2019re edible and add a carrot-like flavor to soups and salads. In some cases, a new root will also form, but depending on the plant, it may go to seed instead. However, you can save the seeds and plant them if you wish.<\/p>\n

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Regrowing foods is a double win: Not only will you save a few dollars here and there, but growing even a small amount of your own food is deeply satisfying. Here are a dozen foods that are eager to sprout again, if you\u2019ll just give them the opportunity. 1. Green […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.org\/LIFE\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.org\/LIFE\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.org\/LIFE\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.org\/LIFE\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.org\/LIFE\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4084"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.org\/LIFE\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4085,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.org\/LIFE\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4084\/revisions\/4085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.org\/LIFE\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.org\/LIFE\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertandrews.org\/LIFE\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}