Nearly free vegetable broth made from frozen veggie scraps I already have! Why oh why did I wait so long!
Actually, I know why! Many of the recipes for homemade broth call for fresh vegetables. And I thought… why would I waste full fresh veggies on broth? Right?
Then one day… I looked at the frozen bag of kitchen compost in my freezer (handy tip for avoiding smelly under the sink compost)… and EUREKA! We were already collecting veggie scraps BUT not giving them a new life!
Along came a new staple for us. And it’s:
Sooo much tastier than store-bought
Practically free
Ready in 30 minutes
And so so satisfying!
Watch my video tutorial below!
Want to know how to make easy, nearly free vegetable broth? Simply… ok… are you ready for how easy this is? Simply:
Collect Veggie Scraps
- In a large freezer bag or container collect the ends, peels, and stems from your tastiest veggies.
Tastiest Veggies To Use
Think Sweet & Herby:
- CARROT tops and peels, HERB STEMS, CORN COBS, ends and skins of SQUASH, BELL PEPPERS, ends of GREEN BEANS, LEEKS, EGGPLANT, ZUCCHINI, CELERY, SWEET POTATO, MUSHROOMS, GARLIC, and ONION.
- BUT…
- Beware Of: BEETS and too many ONION SKINS – they will turn your broth deep red or brown. Too many CRUCIFEROUS veggies can make your broth bitter. POTATO SKINS can give it a “dirty” taste. Too many TOMATOES could affect the colour. And too many woody ends of ASPARAGUS are sometimes avoided but I throw them in there anyway.
Boil For 30 Minutes
- When you have a bag or container that is at least ¾ full…
- Pour the contents into a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil…
- And simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
Strain and Store
You can do this in any way that makes sense for you and what you have in your kitchen. I follow these steps:
- I use the lid of the pot to hold the veggies back and pour the broth into a large bowl.
- Then I place a sieve over a glass measuring cup and pour (or ladle) the broth through the sieve.
- The spout of the measuring cup makes it easy to then pour the broth into a large kombucha bottle I saved.
- And voila!
- Store your homemade broth in the fridge for up to 1 week. Or…
Pro Tip: Make Veggie Broth Ice Cubes!
Yes, that’s right. This was a game changer! If you won’t be using your broth within a few days:
- Pour your broth into an empty ice cube tray and freeze into cubes!
- Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag or container if you’re like me and don’t have endless ice cube trays.
- Finally, you may want to label them so someone else in your household doesn’t get a surprise when they go for the ice cubes!
Are The Savings Worth It
You may be thinking, “broth is cheap, it’s more convenient to just buy it”. And yes, you’re right.
BUT… Saving CAD $4-$6 PER soup recipe adds up!
When we started pricing out our soup recipes we couldn’t believe how much the savings pile up. Our Comforting Easy Noodle Soup takes 8 cups of broth. That’s over $6 of savings! Even if the broth is on sale, it’s still worth it.
So start saving your veggie scraps and making your endless supply of easy, practically free vegetable broth! Let me know in the comments below if it’s a habit that sticks!
Try out these tasty recipes with your homemade veggie broth!
Heather
Loved seeing this! I’ve been doing the same thing forever (well, decades, off and on). I love waste reduction, and am naturally frugal. Even though my saved scraps would go into the compost, which is never “waste”, I get to make this marvellous product before it gets to that stage. I freeze it in jars, and often throw in a few extra herbs and spices. A little lovage really adds umami flavour. I’m managing to grow a lot most of my vegetables now, so get to try new things and stock up on easy to grow organic staples (for me that’s pumpkin, Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, broad beans, leeks, salad and zucchini). I found you today looking for a way to cook the cans of jackfruit I just bought, and suddenly thought it would go with the pomegranate molasses I’m not sure what to do with (but have added here and there, with good results).
Kathryn Alexandre
This is so wonderful to hear. I’m glad you found us! I agree, it’s so nice to get more out of your veggie scraps before they go into the compost. It’s great that you can grow all those delicious foods yourself! We don’t have an outside space in our apartment now but it would be wonderful to be able to plant some veggies!