What to do with the leftover fresh herbs from the supermarket?

It is easy to root new plants from supermarket fresh herbs. You can grow just about any kind of herb. The key is to start with the freshest herbs possible. If there is a date on the package, grab the latest one.

There are not typically growth inhibitors sprayed on fresh herbs. Since herbs are sold as cuttings and in packaging, the chances of growth are almost impossible.

Do I need to buy organic herbs?

It is sometimes difficult to find organic fresh herb cuttings at the supermarket. The most common herbs in my market are not organic. However, I have had great success rooting them into beautiful plants.

Since all new growth, I grow organically the original cutting being organic seems less important.

How to grow herbs from supermarket herbs.

How to grow herbs:

• Remove the leaves from about the bottom 3-4″
• Put the stem in our supplied baskets and place it in your grow system.
• In about 2 weeks you will see new roots.

Its as simple as that.
Have patience! It might not seem like the herbs will root but as long as the leaves are still fresh looking the process is working!

Depending on the plant, you will start harvesting your fresh herbs in a couple of weeks. Follow in general guidelines below to get started with your new herbs.

Here is a list of easy to grow herbs from supermarket herbs

Thyme

Start: easy from cuttings, moderate from seeds, easy to find full plants

Sun: full

Thyme is a great herb to dry and save. It will hold the same flavor after drying. When you use dried vs fresh thyme in recipes use just a 1/3 of the amount of dried compared to fresh.

Parsley

Start: easy from seeds, easy to find full plants, not the best from cuttings

Sun: shade

Parsley doesn’t take as easily to water footing as some herbs. It will root however make sure to have more cuttings than you need. The success rate is low.

Sage

Start: easy from cuttings, moderate from seeds, easy to find full plants

Sun: full

I love to root Sage. It is super easy. After you plant your cuttings keep an eye on growth. Sage can get leggy. Trim back often to grow a nice bush.

Dill

Start: easy from seeds, easy to find full plants

Sun: shade/some sun

Dill is a little less successful growing from cuttings but worth the effort

Rosemary

Start: easy from cuttings, difficult from seeds, easy to find full plants

Sun: full

Rosemary come from the arid area of the Mediterranean. It grows best in less rich soil.

Herbs that are easy to grow indoors

Tarragon

Start: moderate from seeds, easy to find full plants

Sun: full

Super easy to root. Tarragon does well as a mason jar plant. Planting tarragon in soil will grow a fragrant bush.

Marjoram

Start: easy from seeds, easy to find full plants

Sun: full

Marjoram is part of the mint family. Like other mints, marjoram grows fast and has a nice fragrance.

Lemon Balm

Start: easy from seeds, easy from cutting, easy to find full plants

Sun: full or shade

Another member of the mint family with a great fresh fragrance.

Chives

Start: easy from seeds, easy to find full plants

Sun: full or shade

Mint

Start: easy from seeds, easy from cutting, easy to find full plants

Best soil: any

Sun: full or shade

Oregano

Start: easy from seeds, easy from cutting, easy to find full plants

Best soil: any

Sun: full

Next time you need to buy herbs from the supermarket, grab fresh ones. You can grow your new plants now that you know how to grow herbs from supermarket herbs.

A UNICEF programme to help vulnerable youth and families living in Jerash Camp learn new skills and become more self-sufficient by growing vegetables on innovative green rooftops has successfully completed its pilot phase and is ready to be scaled up.

In its initial phase, the Sennara social enterprise project supported twenty women and youth through the creation of ten green rooftops fully equipped with hydroponic systems – aiming to create income generation opportunities, enhance food security and improve financial inclusion, while also conserving water use.

“An entire generation of children are growing up in a world made more uncertain as a result of the changing climate,” said Tanya Chapuisat, Representative, UNICEF Jordan. “By providing community-led, sustainable livelihood opportunities, projects like this one can foster social and economic development, while also promoting positive youth engagement and climate action.”

The Sennara project will now be scaled up with the support of the Prospects partnership from the Government of the Netherlands.  An additional 140 green rooftops will be established with each installation supporting two vulnerable households.

“The Netherlands in Jordan focuses on food security and creating decent work opportunities for the most vulnerable groups. We are happy to announce that the Netherlands will be contributing to the scaling up of this pilot project. The next phase will fall within the Netherlands support to UNICEF through the PROSPECTs partnership and will support the building of 140 hydroponics which will benefit 280 households in the Jerash governorate” said Barbara Joziasse, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Jordan.

As well as receiving hydroponics training, youth and women enrolled in the programme are supported to set up digital wallets to promote financial inclusion. By leveraging connections with the private sector, produce harvested from the green rooftops can be sold to local markets, restaurants and other members of the food industry.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, when fresh produce was not easily available in the camp, thousands of vegetables grown on the green rooftops were distributed in the local community as an act of social solidarity with the most vulnerable households.

Jerash camp is home to over 31,000 Palestinian refugees – half of them children. Youth in the camp face high levels of unemployment and more than half of all residents live below the poverty line.

UNICEF supports vulnerable children and youth in the camp with Makani’s integrated learning, skills and child protection services, as well as health and nutrition, and WASH interventions. Youth in the camp are also being provided with scholarships for technical and vocational education and training to equip them with the knowledge and skills to gain meaningful employment.

Highlights

1. Jerash camp, also known as Gaza camp, is the poorest among the ten Palestine refugee camps in Jordan, while it is also the fifth most populous. One of the main factors contributing to the widespread unemployment in the camp is the national status of its residents, who have restrictions for their professional sectors of work. Ex-Gazans, who constitute around 90 per cent of the registered Palestinian refugees in the camp, are three times more likely to be among the poorest citizens in society, surviving on less than $1.25 per day.
2. As part of an effort to stimulate the economic engagement of the most vulnerable young people in Jordan through an environmentally sustainable project, UNICEF Jordan is piloting a hydroponic and aquaponic intervention in Gaza camp. This innovative technology allows families in the camp to have long-term income-generation, increasing their food security and affording them the opportunity to promote the local economy through the sale of their home-grown produce.
3. By building the capacity of a youth-led social enterprise, UNICEF will implement the Green Rooftops initiative in the highly vulnerable environment of Gaza Camp, located in Jordan. Gaza camp is one of the poorest refugee camps in Jordan, where 52.7 per cent of residents live below the poverty line out of over 29,000 inhabitants. Women in particular are at risk of not being in employment, education, or training. In fact, 75 per cent of women aged 20 to 24-years are outside of the labour force and not enrolled in education. With limited opportunities available to this population, creating a self-employment programme is critically needed and holds the potential for high impact for young refugees in the camp.