Faye, Auckland.

Instead of throwing out the root end of the celery, place it in a jar of water. In no time, roots will develop and it can be planted in the garden for lots of free celery.

(As it happens, there are quite a few vegetables that can be grown from scraps, like potatoes of course. Use the peelings or chunks that have eyes on them. Make sure there are two or three eyes on each piece and plant them directly into soil with the eyes looking up. Garlic and ginger can also be planted directly into soil. Others should be placed in a dish of water until roots form. Try spring opinions, or even pineapple for those in the warmer areas. – Oily Rag Ed’)