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You can save so much money making vegetable stock in your own kitchen!
Homemade Vegetable Stock Recipe
During the winter, when I’m always making soups, I am constantly in the process of making vegetable stock - saving veggie scraps and putting them into the freezer as I go. About once a week or whenever I have enough, I throw them all into a large pot with water and simmer away. I also include veggies from the crisper drawers that I need to use up.
The one thing I do need to purchase solely for veggie stock making is mushrooms - not a huge fan of them otherwise, but they add such a delicious flavor and richness to stock.
What Do You Make Vegetable Stock With?
The main ingredients I typically use in my vegetable stocks are:
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Herbs
- Garlic
- Pepper
- Himalayan salt
- Mushrooms
You can also add:
- Veggie stems/greens (like carrot greens)
- Tomatoes
- Green onions
- Leaks
- Turmeric
- Ginger
Certain ingredients (like turmeric, tomatoes and certain herbs) can overpower the other flavors, so be cautious there.
The veggies you add may depend on what type of flavor you are going for in your soup or dish. Play around and see what you like! There is no perfect recipe for vegetable stock.
Homemade Vegetable Stock
Ingredients
- water
- about 3 cups of various veggies (mushrooms, onion, carrots, celery, etc.)
- a few cloves of garlic
- fresh parsley
- additional fresh herbs - like sage, thyme, rosemary
- pepper/whole peppercorns
- optional: salt - I love himalayan pink salt
Instructions
- Cut larger vegetable chunks into smaller chunks.
- Add all of the ingredients you are using into a pot.
- Fill the pot with water - about ¾ of the way.
- Bring to a boil on the stove, then let simmer for 2 hours.
- Let the stock sit until it cools to room temperature.
- Scoop out the larger vegetables with a slotted spoon and discard.
- Using a mesh strainer or flour sack towel, strain out the little bits left behind.
To Store in Freezer:
- Fill mason jars with stock, leaving 1-2 inches of space on top. The stock will expand as it freezes. (Wide mouth mason jars work best for freezing, but regular mason jars will be fine as long as you leave enough room.) You can also use other freezer safe containers or even plastic storage bags to store.
- This stock will last up to 6 months in the freezer.
To Thaw:
- Fill your kitchen with warm water and place the container of stock in the water. Change out the water every so often when it becomes cold until the stock is thawed.
