Making Your Own Vegetable Stock In 3 Easy Steps - And It's Practically Free!

Don't you love getting things for free? Making your own vegetable stock is very easy and it's almost free too! 

Anyone who cooks knows that there are always vegetable scraps left- potato peels, tops of squash, greens from celery,  part of an onion (even the skin), carrot tops and peels, tomato cores and pieces, green pepper (not the seeds), tough asparagus stems etc. With all of these (that would normally be trash or composted) and more, you can have a wonderful vegetable stock with very little effort.

Here is how:

1. Whenever you are peeling vegetables, collect the trimmings and place them in a container in the refrigerator. Just be sure to dry them thoroughly before storing. You can keep adding to the container for up to 4 days.


2. After 4 days of collecting veggie scraps (you'll need about 1/2 gallon baggie full), place all the veggies in your crock pot, fill with enough water to cover and cook for 4 to 6 hours on high or 8 to 12 hours on low.


3. Cool down, strain and refrigerate (or freeze in 1 cup portions)

You can refrigerate the stock up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Don't have enough vegetables to make a stock after 4 days? See what's lurking in the refrigerator. You'll probably find a lonely carrot, lifeless celery or nearly expired tomato you can add to the mix. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage or cauliflower are not good for stocks. Each batch of stock will vary in flavor because you'll always have different amounts/assortment of vegetables. Use vegetable stock to cook rice instead of water, in rice pilaf, as a base for soups, to cook lentils or beans... just to name a few ideas.

What are some ways you use scrap veggies? Do you have any recipes that use vegetable stock? I would love it if you share these.....

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