Frequent visitors to thedailypbj.com know that we like food related items that are versatile, save time and save money.
These days, while we are all “safe-at-home-ing”, it’s even more important to be efficient and thrifty. We need to find ways to use and reuse where we can. You never know when there’s going to be another panic buying run on vegetables or canned goods like soups.
Recently, I began prepping a roast in my crock pot (another thedailypbj.com favorite item), when I realized I was out of broth. Of course I could use water, but I wanted a little more flavor.
And of course, getting broth at the store right now wasn’t going to happen. Coronavirus panic buying has hit everything.
What I did have, however, was all of the peels and leftovers from the carrots, potatoes, onions, celery and garlic that I was going to use in the crock pot.
What’s a cook to do?
Easy! Make your own vegetable broth!
What You Need
- What have you got? Seriously. Any vegetable remnants will work. Potato peels? Perfect. Onion skins? Outstanding. Green, yellow or red bell pepper caps and bottoms? Great.
Tip: Mushroom stems add a great Earthy flavor - Large pot – the larger the pot, the more you can make for freezing
- Water – amount depends on how large your pot is
- Salt & Pepper
What To Do
- Fill pot about 3/4 full of water
- Add in vegetable pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
After you’ve added your vegetable pieces to the water, bring to boil. Turn heat down and continue simmering for 1 hour.
Tip: if you want to kick up the flavors, go ahead and add in your favorite spices. Garlic, red pepper and ginger all add great extra flavor.
The great thing here is that you can’t really over cook the broth. If you get pulled away from the stove (fighting kids, Amazon delivery of toilet paper, glass of wine), no sweat. If anything, it I’ll just bring out the flavors of the veggies even more!
When your broth is done, strain the veggies, and you’re done.
Make Some, Freeze Some
Once your broth is done, use it like you would any other broth. Pour it into your crock pot for a roast. Use it as a base for awesome chicken noodle soup. It can be used in any recipe that needs vegetable broth. We recently used some in a potato leek soup, and it added great flavor to offset the blandness of the potato.
When you’ve used what you need, simply freeze the rest to use later. Just pull it out and thaw.
Keep Those Bits and Bobs
Now that you’ve got the idea, plan ahead for your next batch.
The next time you peel, chop, cut or slice your next vegetables, add the peels, roots and stems to a gallon sized Ziploc baggie and put that in the freezer.
If you suddenly find yourself in need of vegetable broth, grab a pot, fill it up and throw in some of your frozen peels. In an hour, you’ll have yourself some vegetable broth.
The great thing about this process or recipe is that your broth will always have a different flavor from the last batch. It all depends on the types of veggies you have and the ratio.
Since we’re always looking for great, versatile, money saving ideas, let us know how this works for you. If you have any twists or new variations, please let us know those too and we’ll pass along.