I was really excited when I managed to grow my first basil plant from the stem cutting of basil scraps that I bought from the supermarket! To grow, I will look out for stems with new shoots, remove the lower leaves for cooking and submerged the stems in filtered water or overnight tap water. Put it somewhere with bright and indirect light. Change water every 2 days and roots will start growing after a week. When the roots are around an inch long, you can transfer it to a large pot.
Try out a few dishes using your home grown basils:
I have also grow Brazilian Spinach successfully from cutting too. After removing all the leaves from the stems for cooking, stick them directly to a pot of soil and the leaves will start to grow after a week. It is really amazing… I read that this works for other varieties of spinach too, can’t wait to try. I also managed to grow Tian Qi Leaves successfully using the same method, never expecting it to be so easy!
Other than stem cutting, it is also possible to grow plants from the vegetables/ fruits that we bought from the supermarket. I have tried Chilli Padi with success. Just scatter seeds from the chilli padi directly into a pot of soil and cover it with a thin layer of soil. The seedings will begin to sprout after a week or more. It takes 3 to 4 months for it to produce its first chilli. Yes, all from the food that I bought for cooking!
To celebrate Earth Day, YoRipe is also running #UseFoodScraps Contest (from now till April 30th). Share your hacks in transforming food scraps and win FairPrice vouchers!
Author Josephine (Instagram: @eatsimply02)