Gardener shares 'life-changing' water bottle hack to keep popular herb fresh year-round: 'That's going to come in handy'

One TikToker is changing the game with a hack to make sure you never have to let your harvested chives go to waste — and it turns them into a convenient, long-lasting topping in the process. 

The scoop 

Simon Akeroyd (@simonakeroydgardener) shares his gardening tips in his books and on his social media pages. In a video he posted this past summer, he solves the issue of having too many chives from your garden. 

The hack is simple — harvest your chives, chop them up, put them in a dried-out, old plastic water bottle, and leave the bottle in the freezer. 

Chives don't stick together when they're frozen, so they'll stay fresh for a long time this way, and you'll be able to sprinkle them over your meals all year round. Plus, the narrow neck of the water bottle makes for the perfect recycled shaker. 

"Add [them] to salads, sandwiches, and other dishes whenever you need it!" Akeroyd explains. 

@simonakeroydgardener Make a chive shaker and enjoy their mild onion flavour all year round. Chop them up and keep them in the freezer. Add to salads, sandwiches and other dishes whever you need it #vegetablegardening #herbgarden #gardeningforbeginners #vegetablegardeningforbeginners #gardening #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #growyourown ♬ Unstoppable (I put my armor on, show you how strong I am) - Sia

How it's helping 

This hack is the perfect way to make sure your chives don't go to waste. It can be hard to use up all of your fresh produce if you have a big garden. In fact, freezing your excess produce like this is one of the hacks mentioned in this article on how to save up to $1,500 on food each year. 

Not only that, but it's convenient — leaving you with chives at arms reach, and it's cheaper than spending money on them at the grocery store. 

The hack also cuts down on food waste and puts any plastic bottles that you have lying around to good use. Around 119 billion pounds of food is thrown out each year, and 42 billion pounds come directly from homes. 

Ensuring that your produce won't go to waste will help to cut down on this amount. Plus, your plastic bottles will have a more efficient use before they are recycled or thrown out. 

What everyone's saying 

TikTok users were delighted to have found such an easy hack. 

"That's going to come in handy," said one user. 

Another commented, "Life changing! None of my herbs grow except my chives. I have enough to feed a small village." 

Others couldn't wait to try it out. 

"I didn't know this, great tip. Heading to the garden now!" said one. 

Another user added, "You're the hero I needed. I have no idea what to do with my exploding chives [and] now I do!" 

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