Grow Your Kitchen

We have recently discussed Arbor day and I had mentioned I had a few kids friendly gardening project I thought could be fun for the whole family.

I love cooking and I was thought at an early age that there is nothing that tastes as good as the food that you grow. Combined my grandparents raised chickens, rabbits, had apple trees, apricot trees, figs, grape vines and of course a vegetable gardens that pretty much developed my love for salads.

Of course San Diego is not a rural town in Italy but this should not stop you from becoming an indoor farmer …yes I know it sounds silly, well it is silly but it is also a lot of fun.

Every year we plant a few veggies out on the patio and that’s pretty fun for the kids but I notice they actually enjoy more our indoor projects, they love the process of sprouting seeds from fruits we buy, re growing veggies from kitchen scraps …it has become a science fair project for home.

Growing food from kitchen scraps is a fun and gratifying way for them to witness first hand how these veggies grow, it is fun to see them care for them and of course enjoy the final products.

Here are some of the easiest veggies you can re grow from scraps:

CELERY:

Celery is one of the easiest one to work with.

Simply cut off the bottom of the celery and place it in a shallow container with a little warm water in the bottom. The bowl should be kept in a sunny and relatively warm place. After about one week leaves will start to grown, you can then harvest them as needed or replant it in the yard or in a container and wait for it to grow full size.

CARROTS, RADISH, TURNIPS< PARSNIPS- ROOTS VEGETABLES

Plant part to regrow: Tops

What to do:

Cut some top parts of your root veggie and leave it in a jar of water. New green tops and roots will appear after a few days. Allow the roots to grow about a few inches until ready for transplanting inna garden bed or container.

LETTUCE:

Plant part to regrow: Base of stalk

What to do:

Place the base or bottom part of the stalk in a bowl with water.

Keep it under sunlit area. Sprinkle with water twice a day for 4-5 days. When roots and new leaves begin to appear, transplant in your garden bed or planter.

Bear in mind that many lettuces are cut-and-come again. You can often continue to harvest the plants as leaves continue to re-grow. You can also re-grow head-forming lettuces and other leafy crops simply by retaining the rooting section, placing it in water, and waiting for a second flush of leaves to grow.

TOMATOES:

Plant part to regrow: Seeds

What to do:

Rinse the seeds with clean water and let dry. Plant in fertile potting soil and leave under sunlit area. Water the soil a few times every week. . When seedlings start to sprout to a few inch, transplant in your garden bed.

LEMONS:

Plant part to regrow: Seeds

What to do:

Save a few seeds for planting. Clean and let dry the seeds before planting. Plant in a rich soil.

Expect new fruits after a couple of years. ( this is really important to tell kids so they don’t expect to make lemonade by summer, I learned this first hand )

These are just some of the few things, you can also grow garlic, ginger, onions….whichever you pick try one it truly is a fun project!