Vegetable Stock - Vegetable Broth, dosn't matter what you call it, it is the same. YUM!
As a general rule I keep a large empty butter tub, marked for compost on the counter. When it is full or I deem it stinky, I send it out with hubby to be added to the big bin we keep out back. However, not everything I cut or trim off my veggies is destined for the bin. I keep gallon sized baggies that I fill over a period of time and then turn into stock when I have 4-5 hours to kill. HA! That sounded funny even to me. Maybe I should rephrase that into, stove-top hours; because you can be cleaning house, doing laundry, or even watching tv while it is simmering and not bother with it... except maybe to stir it ocassionally when you pass through.
Here are they types of things I toss in: (washed and somewhat dried of course)
potatoe skins
onion peels
onion ends, yep the root part
green onion ends that are to fiberous to add to a dish
wilted, non edible carrots
carrot ends
wilted, non edible: lettuce, kale, chard, colards - ends too! Just cut or scrub off the dirt.
celery ends and tops
brussel leaves that you have paired the bussels themselves
brussel tree leaves if you don't intend to eat them (which I do!)
skins of just about any squash
cabbage
Use your imagination. You can put just about an veggie in your stock. Set it to simmer and walk away. I choose NOT to put tomatoe unless its a few tops because so many of the dishes I use the stock for whould not pair well with tomatoe. I make a totally seperate tomatoe base that I can pull from if I need or want tomatoe. For this though I just want veggies. DO NOT SALT your stock. You can do that when the time to use it up arrives. For now, be satisfied that your stock is all natural veggies that you family uses and loves on a regular basis.
Recipe:
*Place your frozen vegetable ends in a stock pot.
*Cover with water to with in 2 inches of the top of pot.
*Set to simmer.
*Stir ocassionally, ocassionally addiing water if needed.
*Simmer 1.5 - 2 hours. Cover and let cool so you can touch the pan with out getting burned. Today I left mine about 3 hours before I started the next process.
*Using cheese cloth over a colander poor cooled broth through into a clean pan to remove all the veggies.
*Cooled stock is placed in quart sized freezer baggies. 4-cups each.
*Label bag and place in freezer.
As a side note, I have my favorite lazy boy chair. I read, write, watch tv, needlepoint and craft in this chair. I also DARE anyone to sit in it on penelty of death. One of my cats, Gracie, could care less how I feel about the chair. Infact, I believe she feels the same on a different level about me sitting in HER chair. I no sooner get out of the chair than she is in it for a quick cat-nap. Today while catching up on laundry and dishes and then starting my current batch of yummy stock, Gracie took over the chair. When asked to vacate so I could work on this post; I got the "look." Repeated tries only got me more of the same. I finally had to pick her up and move her to a new location which she quicky vacated because it was not as comfy. lol! Here she is the lazy butt!
Enjoy!
Kerri Downey
