With more articles about how food is grown with more pesticides and fertilizers than required, majority of consumers are becoming aware and conscious of the ill-effects caused by over usage of chemicals to grow food. While some of us shell out more money to buy “so called” organically grown foods, statistics show that complete organic way of growing is still a distant possibility in India.
There have been experiments at growing our own food, at the comfort of our backyard/ terrace/ balcony. Take a look at the foods that can regrow themselves with a little care and nourishment. This way you exactly know what goes into growing some of your ingredients. Here are the details of how to grow back foods in Kitchen/terrace garden.
1. Scallions and Spring Onions
Spring onions are similar to scallions but with bulged white bulb at the bottom, unlike the lean white bottom of scallions. Scallions and spring onions are a variety of onions with tender long green stem which are used as flavoring ingredient or to garnish recipes, especially of Asian cuisine.
- Leave at least an inch of the bottom most part of scallions or spring onions along with roots in a shot glass with roots immersed in water.
- Keep changing water daily.
- You can see all new scallion greens by 5 th day.
2. Rosemary, Coriander & Basil
Rosemary, Coriander & Basil are herbs usually used for garnishing various recipes or added after the dish is cooked and the recipe is off heat. They are used as flavoring for breads or various dips and chutneys as well.
- Leave 2-3 inch from the bottom, including roots if possible.
- Place them shot glasses with fresh water.
- Keep changing water every day.
- Within a week, the roots appear and then transfer them to manured pot or soil with the adequate sun during day time.
- Comes to harvest in a month or two.
3. Lemon Grass
Lemon grass is used as a flavoring agent in many recipes. This can also be used to prepare tea and beverages.
- Place the stocks of lemon grass in a glass with water.
- Keep changing water till the shoots grow green. The stalks can be used to grow one harvest.
- Alternately, when the roots emerge, transfer to soil and cut once the crop grows a foot high.
4. Mushroom
Mushrooms are a nutritional addition for vegetarians. Regrow these mushrooms by planting half of the mushroom stalk in a pot.
- Plant the mushroom stalk in the soil of a pot mixed well with manure and keep in shade but in a place with good aeration.
- Water them every 2 days or as required.
- You can see the bulbs again within 20-25 days which are ready for harvest.
- Harvest the mature buds and leave the smaller ones to grow back.
5. Cabbage, Celery, and Lettuce
Cabbage, celery and lettuce are used in various curry preparations, soups and especially lettuce is used raw to be included with burger or sandwiches. Here is how you can regrow them, when you have bought home the whole vegetable. This trick works best when the roots are intact.
- In a tall edged plate, submerge cabbage, celery or lettuce with roots.
- Change water every few days and sprinkle water on the top.
- When leaves sprout in a week, transfer to a pot with manured soil and water regularly.
- Comes to harvest in 4 months.
6. Pineapple
Pineapple can be included in salads or eaten in its pickled form or preserve. Pineapples can be grilled too, to make the barbecue party interesting. Grow pineapple in your backyard easily.
- Cut the crown of pineapple and plant in soil mixed with manure.
- Water the soil regularly in every day or two or as required.
- Wait for at least a year to harvest (I know that’s the hardest part!)
7. Garlic
Garlic is a trivial spice across many cuisines of the world. Though garlic is a slow growing crop, it feels good when you can grow your own garlic in your backyard. With every clove, you get a garlic pod
- Select larger cloves of garlic from your kitchen.
- Plant them in soil under sunny weather.
- Keep the soil moist.
- Apt planting season is October.
- The clove with shoot up and come for harvest in about june-july.
