Homemade Organic Vegetable Stock

There are numerous recipes on how to make vegetable stock but none of them that I have seen has explained that you can use the extra parts of vegetables.  The recipes that I find are usually something like… carrots, potatoes, onions, celery… and that’s it.

I like to clean out my refrigerator by making vegetable stock.  I take the vegetables that are no longer worth eating raw but not slimy and make stock out of them.  I use the tops of carrots.  I use some potatoes, celery leaves, radish leaves, celeriac, or whatever else I have on hand.  I have added fennel to my stock before.  I buy broccoli with the long stems on it so I can use the stems in my vegetable stock. I will cut a clove of garlic that is getting on the soft side and add it to my stock.  The great part about this is that you can choose what vegetables you like and even get away with adding vegetables that your family wouldn’t otherwise eat.

Here’s How I do it:

1. Fill the stock pot with assorted vegetable parts and pieces.
2. Make sure to fill the pot with water to an inch over the vegetables.
3. Boil the stock for about 24 hours.  (You can turn off the stock and back on later and it won’t hurt it.  This is especially handy if you don’t want to leave it on overnight or when you leave the house.)
4. Strain the vegetables using a strainer and squishing them to release the liquid.  If you have a compost bin, you can add the cooked vegetables to it if you don’t add any salt to the stock.
5. Strain the liquid back though the strainer when adding it to the glass canning jars.  (This will remove more vegetable particles from the stock).  Refrigerate if you plan on using it within 5-7 days or freeze if you need longer than that (Make sure to leave adequate space for freezing!).
6. Enjoy!