Veggie (scraps) Broth

This is a cheap, no-brainer way to make your own vegetable stock using veggie scraps that would otherwise be destined for green waste or compost. 

All you have to do is save your vegetable scraps (like peels, stems and ends) from your food prep, put in a ziplock bag and toss in the freezer. Every time you food prep, add the scraps until the bag is full. You can also throw in slightly sad looking veggies that are still perfectly edible, just not crisp enough to eat fresh. And make sure your scraps are clean—we’re not making dirt soup 🙂

Ingredients

Basic veggies needed

Onions

Celery

Carrots

Add any or all of these to make your broth tastier

Herbs like parsley, cilantro, thyme, rosemary

Garlic

Parsnip

Tomatoes

Ginger (not too much unless you’re aiming for that flavour)

Mushrooms

Season with salt, peppercorns and bay leaves, to taste

Directions

When your bag is full, add to a large pot of water, supplement with more veggies as needed. Then season with salt, peppercorns, a bay leaf or two if you have them, and let simmer for 1 to 3 hours. Let cool, pour through a fine mesh strainer, and voila! Practically free, natural and home-made stock to use for all your veggie broth needs.

I keep a jar of the stock in the fridge for up to a week, and freeze the rest to use as needed.

Note: Avoid cruciferous veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, Brussel sprouts. Also use dill sparingly. I once ruined a batch of broth with too much dill.