Using Waste to Make Vegetable Stock

And Save Money in the Process

When recipes call for vegetable stock it is easy and convenient to go to the store and buy boxed or canned stock. Easy but not cost effective if you are on a tight budget. When trying to keep costs down you want to use every last bit of the produce (vegetables, herbs, fruit) you buy. That means keeping the scraps. In a large bag collect the scraps from all of your vegetables - peels, ends all of it. Keep the bag in teh freezer until it is full. A two gallon zipper bag works great but so does an old plastic grocery bag. If you compost you can have one bag for hte compost bin and one for the stock pot, or alternate as you need to replenish your supply of vegetable stock.

Once the bag is full, place all of hte veggie scraps into the largest stock pot you have. Fill the pot to 1 inch of the top with cold water. Place it on the stove and on medium bringit to a boil. Reduce the flame so that the contents remain at a simmer and leave it covered simmerring for at least 5 or more hours. This is a great project for a cold day or a day when you are home but have other things to do.

After the pot has been simmerringfor at least 5 hours remove it fromthe heat and let cool to a handlable temperature. Meanwhile line a colander with cheese cloth / a dishtowl. Place the lined colander over a large bowl or another very large stockpot. Carefully pour the contents of the original pot into the lined colander collectinghte liquid inthe second pot. All of the boiled vegetable scraps are now ready for the compost bin or disposal. Rinse the original pot & cheese cloth / dish towel and then reline the colander and strain the liquid once more. Let cool completely and divide into storage containers for freezing. This rich flavorful stock can be used to cook rice, as a base for delicious soups, etc.

Just be aware that if you put very strong flavored vegetable scraps (cabbage, broccoli, peppers, etc.) intothe scraps your stock will be flavored by those things. Because of this it is good to vary the types of veggies used throughout your week of cooking.

Some of the vegetables, herbs and fruits that make a delicious stock are:

Carrots Potatoes of all kinds Celery Squash of all kinds

Onions & the onion skins (this will add color to the stock) Green bean ends Herb stems Ginger tomato cucumber

Garlic beets turnips parsnips

Bell peppers apples lemons scallions

Lettuce lemon grass

The list can be endless - just make sure to wash your produce before preppingit and don’t use peels that have been waxed.