Milky way: Pingtan farmer fertilizes tomatoes with gone-off milk

And as the plants absorb fermented milk more easily than fresh milk, the process helps reduce food waste and keeps You's costs low.

The Pingtan farmer began experimenting with feeding the white stuff to his red tomatoes only recently.

Priced the same as regular tomatoes, his first batch of milk-tomatoes sold out almost immediately after hitting the local market, and have since gained wide popularity in the island city.

A close-up of the tomatoes fertilized with expired milk grown by You Tianjin, a farmer in Pingtan, Fujian province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Now, You has expanded his operation, with a pump system spraying the milk and bean pulp over his enormous greenhouses of tomato plants once a week.

He has already found that there is great demand for his newest product, which has given him the confidence to consider diversifying his marketing methods and expanding his sale channels to spread the word even wider.

The innovative farmer also desires to learn more advanced agriculture techniques and share his knowledge with colleagues across the city.

Pingtan has fertile soil and an agreeable climate for agriculture, but the city still lags behind other developed areas in China due to a lack of skills, according to You.

The Fujian native was amazed by the advanced techniques being used in Shandong province when he visited the East China region several years ago. He was so impressed by the work of one technician, he hired him on the spot and convinced him to move down to the Taiwan Strait.

"I think as a modern farmer, we must keep learning modern agrotechniques. I would like to promote successful techniques around Pingtan, enabling more people to eat healthy vegetables," said You.