Homemade Broth Using Vegetable Scraps
Homemade vegetable broth allows you to get more use out of your vegetables. It can save you money, and save you a trip to the grocery store. As a bonus, your homemade broth will taste delicious and you can control the amount of salt and other seasonings.
Collect Vegetable Scraps. All you need to do to start is get a freezer-safe gallon-sized plastic bag or a large plastic container where you can save the scraps. After cutting up fresh vegetables, place any peels, ends, stalks, stems, or tops in your produce bag.
Freeze Scraps. You will need to keep this bag in your freezer to keep the vegetable scraps fresh. Once your bag is filled, it’s time to make your homemade vegetable broth.
Broth Ingredients:
There are only 2 ingredients that you need to make your homemade vegetable broth, plus a few ingredients you can choose to add for extra flavor.
- Water
- Veggie scraps
- Salt and Pepper (optional)
- Bay leaves (optional)
- Herbs of choice (optional)
Materials needed:
- Large pot
- Mason Jars or sealable container
- Slotted Spoon (Spoon with Holes)
Preparation
1. Cook. Fill up your large pot with water, add in about ½ of the gallon sized bag of veggie scraps, and let it cook on low heat for 1-3 hours. You can add in salt, pepper, bay leaves, or herbs of your choice to provide more flavor if desired.
2. Cool. Let the broth cool. Skim out the vegetable scraps with your slotted spoon. These can be put in the trash or in a compost bin.
3. Store. Now that your broth is done, you can put it in the fridge for 5 days or freeze it up to 3 months. Your broth can be used in place of store-bought broths or stocks to make soups or instead of water when making grains like rice.
4. Save. Homemade vegetable broth is a great way to save money. Rather than throwing out your produce scraps, you were able to use it to make more food. While store-bought broths are usually inexpensive and cost around $1.50 per 32-ounce can, making your own makes your money go even further.
Happy scrap collecting!
