Homemade Vegetable Broth

For those of you who throw away the onion and garlic skins, broccoli and cauliflower stems and only keep the mushroom caps for cooking, shame on you! All you need is a one-gallon freezer bag to enjoy something some people pay $2 a quart for in the grocery store.

When you peel a carrot or potato, set the peels aside, along with mushroom stems; broccoli and cauliflower stems; onion, shallot and garlic peels; celery hearts; corn cobs; and any other parts of your vegetables that you would normally discard. Make sure you rinse so no dirt gets into the mix, then allow your remnants to dry on a paper towel. Toss them into your gallon freezer bag, stick it in the freezer, and when the bag is full... make delicious and nutritious vegetable broth!

You can use the broth as the base for soups and stews, steam your rice in it, and if it has enough flavor, just sip it when you're in the mood for something warm and delicious.

When you're ready to begin, make sure you have an extra fresh carrot or two, a few ribs of fresh celery, some cubed potato, and if you want to use the broth for something like French Onion Soup or want it to be dark and flavorful, toss in some fresh mushrooms.

In a large stock pot, dump the contents of your freezer bag into the bottom, then add any fresh ingredients. Add water to cover everything, then get the mixture bubbling. Just before it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to allow it to simmer - never boil a sauce or a soup!

Toss in some fresh peppercorns, sea salt crystals, mustard seed, coriander seed, hot pepper flakes, and whatever other herbs and spices you like. I grow fresh rosemary year-round, so I like to toss several sprigs (rinsed first!) into the pot.

If you happen to roast your own garlic, be sure to toss in some of that, along with the leftover skins.

Simmer your broth for 1-2 hours, until everything is soft. Use cheesecloth to strain everything, then squeeze the vegetables to get the rest of the liquid out of them. Discard or compost the solid stuff, then use your broth for whatever you like - just be sure to use or freeze it within 3 days.

Enjoy!