THEY are the parts of the fruit and vegetable which are normally tossed into the bin after being used in cooking or just as a snack.
But produce such as pineapples, carrots and chillies are just some of the fruit and veg that can easily be grown at home from food scraps.
Plant and garden experts from GardeningExpress.co.uk are telling households to take parts of the food which would normally be thrown away, such as the seeds or the tops, and put them in water or plant in soil in order for the fresh fruit and vegetables to grow.
Chris Bonnett from Gardening Express said: “Instead of throwing scraps from food into the bin or compost heap this is a great way to make your own produce.
“As with planting normal seeds not all of these will work straight away, so it may be best to try two or three of each variety to increase your chances of reaping the rewards.
“This is a great way to help reduce food waste while also helping save money on fruit and veg, or their seeds.”
These are GardeningExpress.co.uk ’s pick of the easiest fruit and veg to grow from scraps:
1 Carrots
The top part of a carrot which you would normally cut off and throw away can be used to grow more carrots. Simply place the top in a small bowl of water, the cut side facing down, then place into sunlight. Ensure that it gets plenty of water each day. Once a shoot is starting to grow you can transfer the carrot top into soil and water as if you were growing a normal carrot.
2 Spring onions
The green part of spring onions can be saved to grow more of the flavoursome white section. Simply place the green sprouts into a jar of water. The water needs to be changed every other day, and within around a week you should have a full spring onion ready to eat.
3 Chillies
The seeds in chillies which are the source of the majority of the heat can also be used to grow more chillies. Simply plant the seeds into some soil, as you would do if you were growing a plant from scratch, then place in a sunny area.
4 Mushrooms
You can regrow any type of mushrooms from their scraps. Simply remove the cap of the mushroom and keep that to use in your cooking. The stalks should then be planted into soil, with everything covered apart from the very top. The stalks should then regrow caps ready for you to harvest.
5 Pineapple
The top leafy part of the fruit needs to be removed in order to grow pineapples. To remove this you need to twist it. Then remove the lower leaves until the bottom layers are exposed. Cut off the base of the “tree” then poke a couple of toothpicks into the base and suspend over a bowl which has been filled with water. Once you can see roots forming plant the pineapple top in soil. It can take a few months for the pineapple to grow, so patience is needed.
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