Soup and stews on repeat repeat repeat all season long in our house. I’m sure it is the same for most of you. And for us, it means having veggie stock on hand so we don’t have to spend $2-3 bucks every time we want to make soup – not when we can easily make it ourselves from veggie scraps! This method is a game changer because you will sincerely never have to buy stock again and it comes together so easily once you are in the habit of saving your scraps.
The key is to continually save your veggie scraps in a freezer bag/bin as you cook throughout the week(s). Every time I am chopping up veggies, I have a bowl on the counter in which I will toss my scraps in and then during clean-up, I simply add to the freezer bag. Once the bag is filled up, I make the stock! If you are like me and do a lot of cooking, then this should be fairly easy to fill up within a week or two.
So about the veggies – I tend to add nearly anything. My usuals scraps are: celery, carrots, onion (not the skin), squash, sweet potato peels, white potato peels mushroom stems, herb stems, kale stems, pepper scraps (not seeds). I really think anything goes, unless there is a flavor you find unpleasant.
Into a large stock pot it goes with water up to the top, herbs of your choice, garlic cloves, and salt. Bring it to a boil and then let simmer for at least an hour. Once it is done, just strain, let it cool, and you will have a few quarts of stock to freeze. I mean… yes, it is that simple. And I haven’t bought veggie stock in years. I have a feeling that you won’t be, either!
Recipe
You will need:
- Veggie scraps
- Water
- Herbs of your choice (I like rosemary sprigs, thyme, or even dill sometimes)
- 2-3 unpeeled cloves of garlic
- Salt (as needed)
To make:
- Gather veggie scraps as you cook throughout the week and place in a bag/bin in the freezer.
- Once the bag or bin is filled to your liking, add to a large stock pot and fill up with water, herbs of your choice, garlic, and salt (if you prefer).
- Bring to a boil over high heat before reducing to a simmer and allowing the flavors to marry for at least an hour.
- Once done, strain out veggies, allow to cool down, and then store in containers for the freezer or use fresh within 5-7 days.
I know this is a really simple recipe but I wanted it to live somewhere on here because ever since I talked about it on Instagram, a lot of you have reached out to me about it! Now you’ll have a place to refer back to if you’d like. :)
Now start compiling those veggies – we have a long winter ahead of us and all the soups and stews ahead. x
