Veg Broth

I used to constantly be buying cartons of vegetable broth. I always need some on hand whether it be for soups or imparting flavor to rice and other grains. Then I was at a friends house cooking when she saved the ends of some leeks I normally would have thrown out, to use towards making broth later. Ever since then I started saving up my leftover vegetable scraps (onion and garlic skins, mushroom stems, kale stems, celery ends, pepper tops, etc) in the freezer. It's kind of amazing how quickly it all builds up. After a couple of weeks I easily have enough scraps to make a batch of veg broth.

(Hint- a jalapeño top is a great addition to give the broth a bit of a kick!)

I simply dump all my frozen odds and ends in my large pasta pot. Sometimes I sauté it briefly with or without olive oil and then fill the pot with water until it covers all my veggies. I bring it up to a boil, add a few peppercorns, bay leaves, and a little salt. Stir the pot to make sure everything it covered then reduce the heat and let it simmer uncovered for about 1 hour. Sneak a taste at some point and add more salt if needed.

Then turn off the heat and let cool. Use a cheese cloth or dish towel to drain and squeeze all the water out of the veggies. Then I bottle it all up, date it, and freeze most of it. I find small jars work well for me so that I can defrost small amounts at a time and not waste anything. Once defrosted the broth should be used in 3-7 days.