Celery spoils fast, and tossing half the bunch each week gets old (and expensive). But a home chef on TikTok has a simple fix that keeps celery crisp for weeks — and even grows more using scraps.
The scoop
Home chef Brennan Kai (@brennan.kai) shared on TikTok a simple hack for preserving celery: storing it in the fridge in jars filled with water.
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"They should last three to four weeks in water in the fridge — still crispy!" she wrote in the caption.
Brennan also shared a clever hack for regrowing celery at home using its ends. In her video, she takes the celery ends and places them in small containers filled with water.
"The ends go in some water while we wait for them to sprout," she says. "Then we can put them in dirt and grow more." She mentioned in the caption that the ends should start regrowing within two to three days.
How it's helping
Food waste refers to safe, edible food that's discarded instead of being consumed. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), about 30-40% of America's food supply ends up as food waste.
A report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the cost of food waste to a consumer in the U.S. is around $728 per year. Learning how to effectively preserve food can help make it last longer, cutting food waste, costs, and grocery runs.
Aside from celery, there are many other fresh produce that can be regrown at home, including green onions, lettuce, and garlic.
Beyond saving money, keeping food fresh longer and doing more with leftovers could also help cool the planet. According to ReFED, about 63 million tons of food from America's food supply ends up in waste destinations like landfills.
When food is tossed into landfills, it breaks down and releases methane gas — a powerful, heat-trapping pollutant. Preventing food waste helps limit this pollution and supports a cooler, healthier environment.
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Bought more than I could eat 🛒 Efforts to keep food fresh or regrow produce at home can make a measurable impact. In addition to those steps, organizations such as Too Good To Go and Misfits Market redistribute surplus groceries and reduce food waste on a larger scale.
What everyone's saying
Many users on TikTok were grateful to learn about this clever hack for preserving and regrowing celery at home.
"I'm going to try regrowing! Thanks for the tip," one user wrote.
Another user shared how they use their scraps: "My scraps usually go for veggie stock, but I'm interested in learning how to grow my own!"
A third detailed how they handle their waste greens: "I love this so much! I tend to not have vegetable waste since I own a rabbit and buy things she can eat as well, what I dont use goes to her."
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