The No-Food-Waste, Easiest Vegetable Broth
If you’re like me, then veggie scraps tend to accumulate pretty quickly. From prepping salads to chopping up ingredients for lunch bowls or dinnertime side dishes, there’s a lot of leftover stems, cores, and other bits and pieces left behind. Before you toss those extras, try utilizing your scraps better with this easy vegetable broth. This broth is a great base for soups and stews, or is delicious on it’s own when you need to press “restart” on your digestive system. Are you a practitioner? Check out our all-in-one system to grow your business.
Equipment
- cheesecloth
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable scraps frozen, no cruciferous
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 whole onions peeled, chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic chopped
- 3 cups celery and carrots chopped
- 8 cups filtered water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp mixed spices
Instructions
Directions
Step one: (a few weeks)
- Collect and freeze 2 cups clean vegetable scraps such as mushroom stems, onion tops or skins, leek greens, root vegetable cuttings, etc. Avoid brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts). Be sure that scraps are clean so that you’re not adding dirt to your soup down the line!
Step two:
- Onions, celery and carrots, which the French call mirepoix, form the base flavors of broth. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté two chopped onions in 2 tablespoons olive oil until wilted. Add 2 tablespoons chopped garlic for flavor (optional). Stir in 3 cups of chopped carrot and celery and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Step three:
- Add 8 cups of filtered water or spring water to the pot. Roughly chop and add the frozen vegetable scraps. Add bay leaf, parsley, marjoram, thyme and/or rosemary for a classic savory flavor; or instead of bay leaf and other herbs, add chopped lemongrass or ginger root for an Asian-inspired broth. Cover and simmer gently on low or medium-low for about one hour. Stirring isn’t necessary.
Step four:
- Remove the broth from heat and let cool for 30 minutes or more. Pour through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove the solids. Store in glass jars in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Use the broth as a base for soups, stews, or rice or whole-grain pilaf. Freeze broth if not ready to use right away. Will keep for 2–3 months frozen.
Notes
Courtesy of Natural Vitality
