Simple Vegetable Broth

Vegetable broth is made by slowly cooking vegetables in water to use as a base in soups, gravies, and sauces, or to flavor rice and other grains. It’s simple to make, and puts to good use clippings and scraps of various vegetables. Try using this homemade broth when making our Italian Soup, Baby Bok Choy, or Scottish Stuffing recipes.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups vegetable clippings and scraps*
• 6 cups water
• Finely ground black pepper and Himalayan salt to taste

Directions:

1. Save clippings and scraps of vegetables and herbs when preparing other recipes. Place them in a large stock pot with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partly covered, for 25 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
2. Remove the vegetables with a soup skimmer. Add salt and pepper to taste and let cool. Using a large fine mesh strainer, strain over a large bowl with a pour spout.
3. Stores refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. To freeze, pour into freezer-safe quart, pint, or half-pint jars with 1 to 2 inches of space for the broth to expand, or pour into ice cube trays. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then use in any recipe that calls for vegetable broth.

Makes about 3 pints (6 cups)

* Some good choices for vegetable clippings and scraps to use in the making of vegetable broth are carrots, celery, corn cobs, garlic cloves, leeks, onions, potatoes, and parsley — just to name a few. Avoid bell pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, radishes, turnips or any vegetable that you think might impart bitterness into the broth.