Making Home Made Veggie Stock

Too many times have I caught myself right before I've gone to throw out vegetable scraps. It's completely ridiculous to throw out any vegetables especially when we can make stock! 

Homemade vegetable stock is SO ridiculously simple and really makes use of an over abundant garden or overspending on that last grocery trip. There's a few tips I want to share with y'all along with MY simple stock recipe.

• Save up all of your celery tops, carrot scraps, broccoli stems, and even your onion halves in the fridge. Keep them in an airtight container or zipper locked bag until you prepare the stock
  
• As a general rule, 1 cup water to 1 cup vegetable scraps will give you the best flavoured stock.
• When it comes to water, fill the pan you are using based on how much scraps you have on hand. Less water will give you a more concentrated flavour and more water will obviously give you a lighter flavoured stock.
• You're looking to use scraps from veggies that are neutral in flavour. This means things like onion, celery, and carrots. All of these veggies are commonly used in most cooking and especially in soups. They make a great stock!
  
• DO NOT SALT! Flavour with peppercorns, parsley, thyme, other herbs, but no salt. Leave the stock unsalted to keep the sodium down and season the stock when you use it in a dish.
  

   MY SIMPLE STOCK

• 8 C Water
• 1 Yellow Onion, quartered
  
• 3 Green Onions, roughly chopped
  
• 1 1/2 C Carrot Tops / Pieces / Mini Carrots
  
• 3 cloves Garlic
  
• 3 C Celery Pieces / Tops
  
• 1 C Broccoli Stems
  
• 1 Tbsp. Mixed Peppercorns
  
• Handful fresh Parsley including stems
  
• 2 Bay Leaves
  

1. Add all ingredients to water. Set to medium high, cover, and bring to a boil.
2. Once boiled, reduce heat to medium low and simmer 1 hour.
3. Strain stock in to medium sized mixing bowl.
4. Refrigerate in air tight container / mason jars.

Stock will keep for about 2 weeks or frozen for 4 or 5 months.