Here’s another Single Girl In Kitchen Situation; Make your own vegetable stock in 10 easy steps.

Step 1: Designate a large zip-lock bag as “Stock Supply Saver” (SSS).

Step 2: Throughout your cooking adventures, for months at a time, remember your SSS bag.  Add whatever snips and snaps left at the end of the cutting board to the bag; such as wilting spinach leaves and herbs, skins of onions and garlic, the ends of carrots, parsnips, and celery and stems of broccoli and cauliflower to the bag. 

Step 3: Keep SSS bag in freezer.

Step 4: Continue to add vegetables over time as you continue to be a rock star in the kitchen. 

Step 5: When you are feeling as though you are especially channeling Julia, poor contents of SSS into large soup pot.

Step 6: Discard onion skins. [though they added flavor to the vegetables while in the bag, they can make the broth bitter.]

Step 7: Add water.

Step 8: Add salt and pepper, if you wish. 

Step 9: Simmer for at least an hour.

Step 10: Feel cooler than you did the last time you bought a box of stock or can of broth and rejoice.

 

I made just one, simple, healthy decision when I decided to start making my own vegetable stock, instead of using often over salted can broths, boxes of stock, or bouillon cubes.  With homemade stock I can better control sodium levels, and use parts of vegetables that would often be considered waste. 

 

After you’ve made your stock, you can freeze it for use later, or cook with it right away. 
Some recipe suggestions for use of your stock:

The Perfect Risotto – Savvy Julie

Three Bean Vegan Chili – Sound Lindsey