Inspired by Grist's article about "Five Packaged Foods You Never Need to Buy Again", my do-it-yourselfer boyfriend and I decided to start making our own vegetable broth.
All
you have to do is: reserve the odds and ends of vegetables, store in a
container in the freezer, and when the container is full, cover with
water and simmer for at least an hour. Really, it's that simple.
- Find a large container that you can keep in the freezer (freezer bags work well too).
- When you are chopping up vegetables, keep the freezer container handy. Throw all loose vegetable ends in the container: onion ends and skins, tomato and bell pepper tops. We also throw in vegetables that are close to expiring that we know we aren't going to have time to use.
- After the container is full (this may take a few weeks depending on the size of your container and how often you cook), pour all the frozen veggies into a large kettle and cover with water. Be careful not add too much water, you want the broth to have a lot of vegetable flavor.
- Bring the veggies to a boil and then let simmer for an hour.
- After an hour, turn the heat off and let the vegetables sit and stew for a bit longer.
