Friday, April 29, 2011

Veggie Broth



Do you make vegetable broth? I tried it once last year but I didn't really know how to do it so I just guessed. It was watery and flavorless.

Oh well, why bother? Besides I was pretty good at making chicken and beef broths.

But now that vegetable broth is a necessity, I decided it was time to really learn to do it right. I wish I could remember the name of this HUGE cookbook I checked out of the library. Seriously, it was over 1000 pages and as heavy as a dictionary. Anyway, it gave such clear step-by-step directions to make it super easy.

Did you know that you don't need to peel your garlic first? You can just cut a whole head across so that the meat of every clove is exposed and throw the whole thing in..paper skins and all. Did you know that?? I didn't.

Now I keep a jar in my fridge for all my vegetable scraps. Onion tops (skin and all), lettuce cores, potato peelings, whatever.

When it's full, I throw the contents in a pot, clean out the fridge for all veggies that are on the edge and need to be eaten, cut open a head of garlic, add some bay leaves, peppercorns, and whatever fresh herbs I have. I add just enough water to barely cover everything and usually cook this in the crockpot all day.


When it's finished and cooled, I strain it through a colander and pour it into jars for the freezer. It's rich and colorful, flavorful, and full of nutrients. I don't usually add salt. This gives me more freedom in spicing up whatever I'm cooking later.


Why didn't I figure this one out a long time ago? Just think of all the scraps I've wasted!!


Delicious and nutritious! Give it a try.

1 comment:

Wendy said...

Thank you!!! I've never known how to do this right and every recipe I've tried seemed to have a funny flavor, not appealing as a base for soups. I'm going to do this, too...and it will probably be awesome for all the veggies I cut up in a week! ha!

By the way, I'm SO happy to hear you're feeling better! That get-more-sleep thing is really key for me, too. God is good.

Love you, my friend,
Wendy