By: MG
Have you ever noticed sprouts coming out of your garlic? Or maybe your potatoes? Under the right circumstances, fresh produce can begin to sprout before you’ve eaten it. Contrary to what Food for Second Thought normally advocates for, don’t eat it! It won’t harm you, but the sprouts may be able to help you. What if you could turn your $2 produce into more food? The ethical logic behind making the most of your food is that the more food you can grow yourself, the less money is being contributed to unethical farming practices. Here are some fool-proof ways to grow produce that has begun sprouting!
How to Propagate Garlic
Put garlic in a jar of water and place the jar in direct sunlight. After a few weeks roots and sprouts will appear. Allow the garlic to grow a sturdy base and then plant in potting soil. When the garlic has grown to your liking, cut the greens and use them as a garnish in any dish. When the bulb rises to the surface of the soil, you can use the original garlic. How efficient!
How to Propagate Tomatoes
It’s common to cut open a tomato and find tons of squiggly sprouts. When this happens, it is called vivipary. Vivipary is when the dormancy of the seeds end. This can be caused by the tomatoes being stored in an environment that is too cold (55 degrees F) and the inside of the tomato acts as a warm greenhouse. When this happens to one of your tomatoes, simply plant in potting soil, water it and watch it grow!
How to Propagate Potatoes
Have you ever noticed those spooky looking spiky things on potatoes that have been in the back of the pantry for too long? Those are sprouts! Potatoes are a root, so they do best going underground immediately. Plant them 2-3 inches deep in potting soil. During this stage, don’t let the soil dry out. When the potato sprouts out of the soil and is about a foot tall, mound the soil around the base of the plant to prevent an overexposure of sun. This will also help the plant to produce more potatoes.
What Are the Benefits?
Growing your own food has many benefits. Not only is it fulfilling to take care of plants and create your own food, it also saves you money. The money you save can be used to buy from ethical food distributors. It’s not always reasonable to expect to grow all of the produce you need, but as we always say, start with small habits and build from there!
Edited By: CP
