Probably everyone has had such a situation in their life. You reach for a tomato and its surface is covered with white or black mould.
Some people decide to cut it off and eat the rest of the vegetables. Unfortunately, this is not a good idea.
A tomato with traces of mould is no longer suitable for consumption. That doesn’t mean you have to throw it away.
We all know that food waste is a huge problem.
Therefore, it would be ideal to prevent food from spoiling and having to throw it away.
However, this is not always possible.
Sometimes we don’t have time to eat everything due to random reasons, and sometimes we simply forget about certain products. We only remember when it is too late.
Removing mouldy parts and eating the rest is a controversial topic.
Experts warn that the raid we see is not everything. Such a product still contains mycelium hyphae, which contain toxins that are hazardous to health.
If we are dealing with dry, hard food and only a small part of it is covered with mould, it is allowed to cut off the rotten part. But it’s still risky.
In the case of soft products that contain a lot of water, such as tomatoes, cucumbers or jam, they should not be eaten, even if they show slight signs of mould.
So what can you do with a mouldy tomato? Plant!
This is the best way to prevent food waste. We use the one that can no longer be eaten.
Moreover, in some time we will be able to enjoy vegetables from our own garden. Cheap, ecological, and so satisfying.
Tomato slices, or preferably just seeds, should be placed on moist soil. Ordinary cotton wool will also work well at the beginning.
The plant needs a lot of water, a lot of sun and heat to germinate. It is best to start planting them at the turn of March and April.
Remember that until it gets warmer, we keep them at home. You can optionally take it out to the balcony during the day. However, they must return to the room at night.
This is what our planted tomatoes look like at the very beginning.
We need to be patient and just let the seeds germinate peacefully. Make sure they get plenty of sun and water regularly. After some time it will start to turn green.
The next stage will be transplanting our tomatoes into a larger pot (I used a 10-litre paint bucket) or into the ground in the garden (provided it is already warm enough).
It would be best if the temperature at night did not drop below 14 degrees Celsius. If it is colder, growth may be stunted. The risk of developing diseases in plants also increases.
It is also important to divide the tomatoes when transplanting them. I divided the ones visible in the photo above into three buckets. Then we can plant each sprout separately.
However, this is not always possible at home. I simply don’t have that much space and I don’t want to waste and throw away sprouted plants.
