Rescuing Veggies from Misfit Veg Island

You may have seen my previous post about the dollars and sense of making vegetable stock. In that recipe I was instructed to buy all new, whole vegetables and NOT to clean out the fridge. I obliged. Although, I didn’t 100% agree.

Well, turns out two friends of mine have a trusted vegetable stock recipe, and it calls for vegetable scraps! Lucky for us, they agreed to share the recipe (along with some humor) here on Saucy Dipper.
 

Conor and Lisa’s Vegetable Stock

I can picture the invention of stock.  Some proto-human picked up a conch shell, filled it with some fragrant leaves and water and thought “Me hungy!”.  Gosh darn it, that hairy Neanderthal was on to something.

Our method of veggie stock making is a lot like our prehistoric friend’s.  We will never BUY anything to make a stock.  No no no.  Our stocks are how grandma used to make it if she didn’t own a yacht and a cottage on the Vineyard.  It’s made of stuff laying around.

Stocks Do Three Things

1. They use stuff up that is about to go bad because you were too busy living your life . You were not going to miss out on a Rascal Flatts concert to cook up that aging celery.

2. They preserve the majority of the underlying vitamins and minerals contained in the vegetables for use in other applications.

3. They make your house smell edible.

Being vegetarians, Wifey and I create a ton of vegetable “waste.”  We just started composting last year and gazed with hubris at the achievement of not having to go to the dump as often, and being able to supply our garden with the nutrients it needs to give us more food.  Seemed great.  Well, upon further examination, we were composting stuff that really should have been saved for the stock pot (and subsequently composted).

Vegetable Stock Recipe

1. Carrot shavings (Wash the carrots before peeling.)

2. Onion skins (Even that papery stuff is ok…seriously.)

3. Bell pepper tops (I steer clear of the ribs inside the pepper.  I have no evidence to back this up, but I have a feeling that no good can come from those ribs.)

4. Celery root/leaves (Inedible part OK, just get all the dirt out.)

5. Egg shells and a teaspoon of vinegar (Sounds cRaZy, I know.  It doesn’t impart flavor, but the shells contain calcium that’s soluble in water and vinegar. Your body will thank you.)

6. Garlic skins (We didn’t toss the outer onion layers, so we sure as hell aren’t going to discriminate against our friend garlic.)

7. Apple and pear cores (Bite marks are too sketchy for me, so I stick to “sliced” cores.)

8. Corn cobs (Again, the corn was removed with an instrument more sanitary than our teeth.)

9. Spices – Rosemary, sage, and 3-4 bay leaves

10. Tablespoon of olive oil

So at this point we’ve rescued all this “good stuff” from the Island of Misfit Veg (stored in gallon-sized Ziplock bags in the freezer), and into the pot it goes with enough water to cover.  We usually toss in a small amount of fresh vegetables as well if we have some on hand, but it is not required.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer on low for a long time (2 hours minimum).  Don’t add salt.  You can always add salt later, so procrastinate and freeze your stock now. Add the salt to taste in your final application.

Vegetable Stock Applications

Speaking of applications, they are numerous.  We use it all the time in quinoa, rice, sauces, and soups.  I really don’t like soup though.  Wifey makes it all the time to try to convert me.  I feel like apologizing to the soup.  “It’s not you, it’s me.”  ‘

Regardless of all that nonsense, I hope you find this post convinces you to boil your trash.

-King Conor

 

 

11 comments

  1. I will probably get banished from the food blogosphere for admitting this, but I’ve never made stock at home. I always buy the broth already made. I should really try this method out. It would be a great use for all of my veggie peels and scraps!

  2. Awesome tips and ideas and I love your recipe for stock. I have a similar one but for chicken not veggie so I cant’ wait to try it out!

  3. thanks for the info, would have never thought of egg shells…I always have a freezer bag in the freezer to place my tidbits, when it is full I make stock, really cannot beat the flavor..I always add one serrano chile to the pot..yum!

    sweetlife

  4. @Dana – I only recently got into making stock…it’s not for everybody.

    @Jessica – Next up for me is chicken stock!

    @Sweetlife – I was thinking about a hot pepper for this recipe, too. It makes perfect sense.

  5. I need to start making stock. I always feel so silly paying 3 dollars for a carton of veggie stock at the store. Thank you for infusing your posts with your kind spirit and such helpful tips. Even in the midst of sadness, I find such solace visiting the blogs that I’ve grown to love this past year. I hope you have a wonderful start to your week, my friend. A big hug from Austin!

  6. I love making veggie stock! But I’ve never used egg shells or vinegar or corn…. I will definitely try these additions. Very cool!

Comments are closed.