7 Fruits and Veggies You Can Replant to Reduce Waste ...

How would you like to enjoy the taste of the tropics even if you live nowhere near them? Pineapples are so sweet and delicious, plus they're so good for you – and they number among the fruits and veggies you can replant from the leavings. The next time you buy a pineapple, cut of the top and suspend it above a bowl or jar of water using toothpicks. Pineapples love sunlight, so keep your planting in a sunny spot, and feel free to stick it outside on your porch when it's sunny outside. You need to change the water pretty often – every other day is best – and make sure your container is always filled enough that the water reaches the base of the pineapple top. Give it a week and you'll see some roots, at which point you can transplant the pineapple into soil. And yes, you can grow these juicy fruits right inside.

I don't know many home cooks who don't use garlic. Most of them go through a lot of bulbs. If you use a lot of fresh garlic, you'll love growing your own. Take a clove and promptly plant it, roots-down. If you're in a warm climate, or start planting in a warm season, feel free to keep your potted clove outside, because it will thrive in the sunlight. As soon as shoots start forming, keep them cut back so that the plant has a chance to produce an entire bulb of garlic. You'll never need to buy garlic again. For the record, you can also use the sprouts to grow your garlic.

Actually, this applies to lettuce, cabbage, and bok choy, among others. Don't throw away the little leaves you have lying around after making a salad or soup. Fill a bowl with a small amount of water and put in the leaves. Keep your bowl in a spot with strong sunlight. Several times a week, spritz the leaves to keep them moist. In just a few days, you should start seeing roots and new, young leaves. At that point, transplant your produce into soil. You can also use the bottom of your lettuce or cabbage heads to grow more.

This is just epic, and I had no idea you could do this. Don't waste your pumpkin come Halloween. You can always plant the seeds, but that's not the fun part. You can actually fill your whole hollow pumpkin with soil, then plant it just as is. You'll have your own pumpkins for pies, smoothies, stews, and even more Jack-o'-lanterns.

This applies to parsnips, beets, and turnips, and it's easy as can be. Save the tops of your favorite root veggies and plop them in their own bowls or jars of water. In mere days, you'll see new, fresh, green tops. Give the root time to keep growing, then transfer it to soil. Outside works best.

I love potatoes! When I was growing up, this was basically how my nanny supplied the whole family with spuds. You can grow more potatoes from the peels, as long as they have eyes. Cut them down into a bunch of two-inch slices, and try to make sure every piece as at least two eyes. Let them dry out, then plant the pieces in soil – four inches down should do it – with the eyes facing upward. You'll have growing potato plants in about three weeks. You can grow your own sweet potatoes as well, just cut them in half and suspend the halves over a shallow dish of water, with your trusty toothpicks. You'll see roots after several days, and after the sprouts hit four inches or so, twist off the sprouts and put them in a jar or bowl of water. Once those roots grow an inch, it's soil time.

It's always good to have onions handy. They're great for your health and full of flavor. Once you get done with an onion, save the root and half an inch of the onion itself. Cover it very lightly in soil and keep the container in a spot that gets a lot of sunshine. If you're growing green onions, the white base and its roots can go in water, which you need to change every one to two days. Just cut as you go when you need the greens, because they'll keep growing.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, so I hope you'll chime in! Growing your own produce is an excellent way to save money, plus you know that you're getting something fresh that hasn't been sprayed with pesticides or any other nasty things. Do you know of any other fruits or vegetables that you can easily replant? What are your favorites?

Sources: diyncrafts.com, motherearthnews.com, buzzfeed.com, hortmag.com