Have you ever wanted to get more life out of your produce? With grocery runs at an all-time low, people are harvesting fresh produce from, sometimes unused, portions of fruit and vegetables. Here’s an easy guide for sprouting food from what is in your fridge or compost bowl.
You will need:
If your produce has visible seeds – such as peppers, strawberries, or cucumbers, it will sprout in a Ziploc bag. I’ve used a strawberry as an example, below. Sprouting new produce from stem will be covered in the next section.
For seeds:
1. Isolate the seed. A slice of a strawberry (or cucumber) can be rubbed on a paper towel to remove all of the flesh. Pepper seeds can easily be picked off the stem.
2. Line the seeds up on one side of a paper towel or napkin.
3. Fold the paper towel over so all seeds are covered.
4. Moisten paper towel with enough water that it is wet, but not dripping.
5. Place folded paper towel inside a zipper storage bag, and seal.
6. Write name of seed and date on bag.
7. Place bag of seeds in a sunny window and wait.
8. Wait for seeds to sprout leaves before planting in dirt. You can plant seeds and paper towel in a plastic cup until ready to move outside or to larger container.
Here is an example of bell pepper seeds that I harvested using this technique, and then planted the sprouts.
If your produce has a stem – such as lettuce or pineapple, it will sprout in a glass of water. I’ve used the scrap end of a Romaine lettuce heart for this example. Continue reading for the step-by-step instructions!
For stems:
1. Cut top of romaine to leave about 1” of stem.
2. Fill glass with about 1” of water.
3. Place stem in water and put in sunny window until new growth or roots start to appear.
4. Plant stem in soil, inside of a plastic cup or pot.
Have an itchy green thumb? Check out these other plant-based articles at Women’s Outdoor News!
Friday FIX: Plant a Pest-Resistant Garden
Shady Gardens to Hot Spots: Working With Challenging Garden Styles
FIX.com: Everything You Need to Know About Succulents
DIY: Starting Seeds in the Winter for a Spring Garden
Morgan Maples is a commercial interior designer who has an incredible green thumb. Every available sunny space in her Chicago condo is filled with her flora babes. Besides plants, she brings an artistic flair to everything she touches – from crafting, to cooking and DIY projects.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
