Homemade Vegetable Stock

If you thought the Homemade Chicken Stock I shared the other day was easy, homemade vegetable stock is even easier! And takes less time to make!  And once again, costs next to nothing because you use vegetable parts that would other wise get tossed (into the compost of course! which is also not a waste in my mind.) 

So for the ingredients: next time you buy asparagus, keep the bottom of the stocks that you cut off.  Through them into a bag in the freezer for the day you decide to whip them out to make stock.  My husband also wisely added some broccoli stems to the bag.  I think celery would be good too.

Here we go!

1. Empty your bag of frozen veggie pieces into a pot.  I also added some ground pepper only because I was out of pepper corns.  Use whole pepper corns if you have them.  Just a few.

2. Cover with water.

3. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20-30 minutes. Cover slightly so it doesn't all just evaporate on you.

I just knew you would want to see what boiling veggies looks like! 

I was right, wasn't I?!

4. Take out all of the veggie pieces and you're left with what looks like dirty water. But it's yummy stock!

5. I let mine cool over night in the pot because I frankly didn't feel like dealing with it the night I started making it.  That's just how it is sometimes. I get a great idea on a Friday night then end up wanting to go to bed before I finish what I started.

6. Now it's time to strain! Take some cheese cloth and ladle the stock throw it into a glass measuring cup.  

Move the cheese cake cloth around as little pieces of veggie clog up the area you're straining through.

You can see the pieces of pepper and some veggie pieces getting strained out.

 I poured a little over 1 cup of stock into plastic cups (I used plastic cups again because I like how easily they fit into a freezer bag once frozen). Into the freezer they go until frozen solid.  Then I take them out, invert the cup onto my hand, run warm water over it and put my homemade vegetable stock into a gallon freezer bag.  Homemade vegetable stock ready at a moments notice!