Recycled Scallions

Ages ago I took a Thai cooking class, and the instructor mentioned that instead of tossing the root ends of scallions, you can plant them. Neat idea, but it ended up on my list of cool things to do along with “organize my recipes according to the Dewey Decimal system” and “calculate how many sticks of butter are needed to cook every recipe in the Barefoot Contessa Parties Cookbook.”

Well I had an empty spot in my window planter after a cold night killed off my thyme, and a handful of scallion nubs left over from some stir fry so I thought I’d give it a go. Check this out! It worked! I planted the little root bulbs (about 1/2″ tall) just under the surface, and within a few days the little green tops were poking through the soil. Within a week they were a few inches tall. Now I just snip a few inches off the top to use when needed, and it grows back in a few days. Sorta like a Chia Pet for foodies!