Grow Food from Kitchen Scraps

Last week, after I wrote about growing a tree from a grocery-store purchased avocado, I ran across a gem of a book: Don’t Throw It, Grow It! by Deborah Peterson and Millicent Selsam. Who knew you could grow plants from nearly any vegetable or fruit you buy in a grocery store? Not me! But in this volume, the authors give step-by-step instructions for doing just that.

If you have a sunny window, you probably won’t need to buy much of anything to grow fruits, herbs, or veggies in your house. If you don’t have a sunny window, you’ll probably need a grow light (available at almost any gardening center). Aside from produce, the only other things you’ll need you may already have around the house: a clear jar, skewers or strong toothpicks, gravel, and potting soil, depending upon the project you’re beginning. In addition, many of the projects are marked “Easy,” making them ideal for children.



You’ll find instructions for growing green beans, beets, carrots, chickpeas, Jerusalem artichokes, lentils, onions, garlic, shallots, peas, potatoes and sweet potatoes, radishes, summer squash, turnips, almonds, avocados, Chinese star apples, various types of citrus fruits, dates, figs, kiwi, mangos, papaya, peanuts, pineapples, pomegranates, anise, caraway, celery, coriander, doll, fennel, mustard, many Latin American and Chinese foods, and more. There are even instructions for making your own bean sprouts. (It seems a bit troublesome to do very often, but appears to be a great project for kids.)

I was surprised to learn that most of plants will produce edible food – although most fruits will grow produce slightly different from the original fruit used (because they are hybrids). The authors always state whether you can expect food from the plant, or whether you should only look for lovely foliage and flowers. (Did you know turnips and radishes bloom? Or that sweet potatoes produce flowers that look like morning glories?)

In addition, you’ll find instructions on transplanting appropriate plants outside, and ideas for dealing with common houseplant pests.

I’m so glad I ran across the book, and look forward to using it to do many science and gardening projects with my children.

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