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topsiebeezelbub

"Regenerating" vegetables?

topsiebeezelbub
9 years ago

I keep seeing internet posts about regenerating celery, lettuce, carrots, etc by sticking the stem ends in water or soil. I think that for the most part this is stupid, and possibly dangerous, risking bacterial contamination and food poisoning. Any input on this subject?

Comments (10)

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    Not sure it's stupid since it can be interesting to see. I assumed most people who do it do it just out of curiosity. You can't get a carrot from a carrot top in water. All you get is carrot leaves. A lettuce or celery stump will produce more leaves but it isn't a practical way to produce a reasonable crop. And vegetables don't absorb bacteria from water or soil. Any bacteria will be on the surface and can be removed by thorough washing.

  • digdirt2
    9 years ago

    I agree it is a waste of time and effort and the past discussions here about it would seem to agree. But doing it appeals to some for some reason.

    Most of what I have read about it consists of rooting the stub in water and then transplanting it to soil for growing.

    However I don't see how there could be any source of danger in doing it, no possibility of any "food poisoning".

    Dave

  • nancyjane_gardener
    9 years ago

    I've done celery and it's fine! I'm not dead yet! It's nice to be able to go out and pick a couple of ribs when I need them!
    I have re-planted lettuce when I accidentally pulled up the whole plant rather than just a few leaves, but that was right away.
    I don't think playing with gardening is "stupid" at all. Nancy

  • sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
    9 years ago

    I encourage it if just for a tiny bit of green growth in the kitchen during such dreary winters, like what we in the north just left behind.
    I have a small low glass bud vase that will hold stubs of a green onion bunch, a few celery stubs and one or two leeks, lemon grass. Not a crop, just a bit of garnish if needed. Otherwise the stubs just go in the compost. And do anyway eventually. You really just get a core of leaves but do have flavor like the tender bit inside a stalk of celery. No harm, not stupid, and not sure where bacteria comes from.
    Those city bound without a garden? Maybe it will bud an interest to have a garden someday or to let kids watch them grow.
    I've had a large garden for 25yrs and still need that bit of green fix...though now tending 8 trays of starts so i have my hands full.
    I don't need to waste money on cut purchased flowers and would rather wait for my cutting garden and tulips living seasonally.
    No harm. Just a handful of free sprouts most just toss in the garbage.

  • topsiebeezelbub
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Sure I used to do this as a kid for fun, but these posts seem to suggest you get free groceries. I can't help thinking of all the people who died from eating bean sprouts. I still think its dangerous.

  • gardenper
    9 years ago

    Do you mean regenerating to eat right away, or regenerating to let it grow as a plant in the yard and then harvest it later?

    Either way, I think there are precautions you can take. For example, you mentioned water. So if you use a clean bowl that you eat out of (or cook with) and put water in there, then put the plant to replenish its turgor pressure, that should be safe enough to eat again.

    But if something goes into the ground and then you're worried about eating it again...well, that's where all the plants are coming from anyway.

    As for bean sprouts, beans can sprout in a moist, soil-less medium...or even just by pouring water over the beans and letting the water drain. As a result, it's possible to get fairly clean bean sprouts to eat, including after you rinse it one more time before actually eating it.

    This post was edited by gardenper on Thu, Apr 17, 14 at 12:24

  • nancyjane_gardener
    9 years ago

    Sure I used to do this as a kid for fun, but these posts seem to suggest you get free groceries. I can't help thinking of all the people who died from eating bean sprouts. I still think its dangerous.


    Then don't do it??????

  • Maynard1980
    9 years ago

    Those things are a waste of time, but regenerating garlic is not. I had some old cloves in kitchen that started sprouting stems, so I planted them all in my garden. They're getting quite big and growing like onions. They should turn into fully edible garlic bulbs.

  • gardenper
    9 years ago

    In the case of garlic or even the large onions, those are the seed/bulb that new plants come from.

    But a more equivalent idea would be using the roots of green onion/scallions and replanting them after cutting off the green parts for use. The green onion would regrow in this case (not sure how much white part needs to remain but I generally cut a little bit above the green leaf growth).

  • Ohiofem 6a/5b Southwest Ohio
    9 years ago

    The problem with some bean sprouts was because contaminated seeds were grown in a warm, moist, dark environment and they were eaten raw. Growing from the remains of other produce, especially if you put it out in your garden, is different. If the produce you try to regenerate was contaminated, you would have gotten sick the first time you ate it. If you didn't get sick then, you won't get sick from it later. The produce that made people sick usually got contaminated with e. coli in the field before it got to the grocery store.

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