Whether cash is tight or you just want to be more aware of how you treat the planet, re-growing your own food at home can go a long way toward making your life easier and your dinner more rewarding. You may want to focus on weight loss or saving money or any other number of topics, in any event you will want to consider re-growing food right in your own kitchen. Now this may sound a little insane if you have never tried it but there is plenty of reason to give it a shot. Listed below is one of our favorite food hacks of all time: 10 foods that you can re-grow right from your own kitchen!
Celery
If quick weight loss is your goal and you still want to eat something leafy and green then consider re-growing your own celery at home. Celery is probably the easiest food in the world to grow again from leftovers because all you need is a bowl, some warm water, and the base of your celery. In order to get this food growing again fill up your bowl with warm water, just the bottom layer, and put it into sunlight on a window ledge. Put your celery in the bowl and leave it there all day long. The more direct sunlight you get on the celery the faster it will grow. Eventually you’ll see the leaves start to thicken and the celery to turn green again. At this point go ahead and throw it in a pot and continue the process.
Celery
Lettuce
There is no dietary staple more convenient to eat while trying to help lose weight than lettuce. Lettuce is the golden standard for rapid weight loss because you can incorporate it into just about any meal while improving taste, texture, and nutrient value. In order to keep lettuce growing in your own kitchen all you need to do is save a couple of leaves and repeat the steps we listed above for celery. You’ll want a bowl with a little bit of warm water set in direct sunlight. Lay the leaves into the water and then mist them a few times throughout the day. After a few days of this process you’ll see roots start to appear at the base of the leaves. At this point you can transfer the lettuce over to pots or merely put them into your garden for continued growth.
Lettuce
Avocado
The avocado is one of the best foods that you can put into your diet whether you are looking for weight loss tips or muscle gaining tips. Avocados are considered a super food and for good reason. They are heart healthy treats that provide flavor, texture, and nutritional value into just about every meal possible. To re-grow an avocado all you need to do is save the seed after you are done eating. Stick a toothpick into the seed and suspend it above a jar of water. The water should cover the bottom of the seed and the whole contraption should be kept somewhere warm, out of direct sunlight. Check the water on a daily basis and add more whenever you feel that it is getting low. Avocados can take awhile to start re-growing so don’t be surprised to wait over a month for roots to start to show. Once this happens you can replant the avocado in your garden and speed up the process to more delicious treats. Avocados are expensive, too, so this is a particularly helpful food hack.
Avocado
Potatoes
If you need a food that will keep you full while easily integrating into a variety of dishes then look no further than the potato. Potatoes are perfect for re-growing and this can be accomplished with minimal effort. All you need is a potato peeler that has holes in it so that the peel will ‘breathe’ as you peel. These peels can then be planted about three to four inches underneath the soil of your garden with the holes facing upwards. After a few weeks of steady care you will start to see the potato plant sprout and grow, leading to the eventual food that you will re-use again. The best part of this food hack is that you’ll be able to get full usage of the potato each time even with saving peels for re-growing. Potatoes will help you lose weight easy and that is why we like to use lose weight programs with potatoes in them.
Potatoes
Pineapple
Is there anything more refreshing than a pineapple on a hot day? Well, if you want to keep pineapples in your kitchen forever then consider taking some time to try re-growing them. To re-grow a pineapple you will follow similar steps as the avocado listed above. All you need to do is cut the top off of the pineapple and pierce it with a couple of toothpicks. Hold this top of the pineapple above a container of water and set the whole ordeal outside during the day, gathering direct sunlight. Bring the pineapple container in every night and keep repeating the process for about a week. At this point you’ll start to see roots forming and from here you can throw the pineapple into soil. If you live in a warmer climate go ahead and throw it outside in your garden however if it is cool where you live then keep growing it indoors, even if it takes a little bit longer.
Pineapple
Onions
You can use onions in so many different dishes that it isn’t even funny, they are also a great food to re-grow in your own household. Onions are easy to re-grow in that you just have to cut the root of the bulb off of the onion and plant it to re-start the process. Take about half of an inch of whatever onion you are re-growing it and put a light layer of soil over it. Keep the base of the onion covered in water while sitting in direct sunlight. Over the next few days you will see the roots start to grow and you can just keep growing it from there. Change out the water frequently if you need to.
Onions
Mushrooms
If you are feeling up to a challenge then consider trying to re-grow mushrooms in your own home. In order to re-grow mushrooms at your kitchen you will need somewhere with a ton of humidity as well as a soil rich environment. Some people like to use plastic containers that cover garden trays while supplementing the tray with soil that is nutrient filled. You can buy all of these supplies from hydroponic stores online or at the store down the street. Cut off the head of the mushroom for eating and then set the stalk into your soil, leaving the top of the stalk exposed to the air. Crank up the humidity and then keep checking on the mushroom until a new head appears.
Mushrooms
Basil
Alright, so we talked about the difficulty of mushrooms so let’s get back to something simple: basil. Basil is easy to re-grow because all you need to do is retain the stem from your plant, purchased or grown. Take this stem, at least four inches in length, and put it in a glass of water with the leaves above the water line. You’ll want indirect sunlight and a few days of patience until you start to see roots showing up. Once the roots are formed enough, two inches in length or so, you can transplant the herb to your garden soil and watch it take off from the ground up.
Basil
Apple
To get apples re-growing all you need is some space out in your yard and a whole lot of patience. To grow apples again save the seeds from the apples that you already bought. Then you will want to let the seeds dry out before planting them in your soil. Plant as many seeds as you want to maximize the chances of one growing to vitality. Just know that you will get different types of apples no matter where your seeds come from.
Apple
Cilantro
We’ll polish off our list with another age old herb to add to your kitchen rack: cilantro. You can re-grow cilantro scraps by placing the bottom of a cilantro stem into a glass of water. Leave this glass of water in a lit area, indirect sunlight being fine, and keep an eye on it. Over time you’ll see roots start to grow and then you’ll be able to put your herb into pots where roots will take hold and give you a grown plant in a matter of weeks.
Cilantro
