Making Your Own Veggie Stock From Scraps

If you’re anything like me, odds are you go through a ton of stock and broth when creating recipes. The good news is, a lot of the time when you are cooking up something delicious, you are creating loads of vegetable scraps that can be turned into stock in less than an hour! Not all vegetables are suited for this particular task, for example, cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage, don’t work well due to their very strong flavors, while mirepoix vegetables (carrots, celery, and onion) create some of the most delicious flavors.

Some examples of vegetable scraps I tend to keep are onion peels and roots, celery roots and stems, carrot tops and peels, potato peels, and mushroom stems. Stems from herbs such as thyme and rosemary can really enhance the flavor of your stock as well.

I simply keep a large freezer bag full of my scraps as I cook, (this bag will keep for up to 6 months), and once the bag is full, it’s time to make your broth! Buzzfeed has a great video tutorial which I found very helpful my first few times making broth, however, I have found adding a few extra vegetables and spices will take the flavor to the next level of tastiness.

Do keep in mind, not all vegetables make good broth. Besides the above mentioned, you will come across some vegetables that can create a bitter taste (kale stems and Brussels sprouts are a couple more examples). This will most likely take some experimenting, but keep at it, and follow my tips below.

Ingredients:

• vegetable scraps
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 2 celery stalks, halved
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 sprigs fresh parsley

1. Rinse the scraps and place them along with the remaining ingredients in a large pot or Dutch oven. Fill with water until scraps begin to float, about 3/4 of the way full.
2. Bring water to a low boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer covered over medium heat for 30-45 minutes or until the broth tastes flavorful.
3. Place a colander over a large bowl. Drain the broth into the bowl. You can strain the broth a second time through some cheese cloth if you’d like, but this step is optional.
4. Ladle the broth into mason jars, which will keep up to 4 days refrigerated. Or you can freeze the broth in large ice cube trays to have ready-to-use portions for all your recipes!