Vegetable Stock from Scraps

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Vegetable Stock from scraps couldn’t be easier! Just save your leftover kitchen scraps! So flavorful and healthy! A great way to reduce your food waste, as well! Freeze for at last 6-8 months in freezer bags!

Waste not, want not. How many times did I hear this growing up? Countless! Making your own Vegetable Stock from Kitchen Scraps is a perfect way to utilize perfectly good ingredients that would have ended up in a landfill!

I saw this idea on Pinterest whilst scrolling through looking for new inspiration last year. The lightbulb went on over my head and I thought this is a great idea!! Funny story. So when I mentioned it to my Mother, her response was, “Oh Julia (Child) used to do that years ago!” (In her haughty tone! 🙂 ) Of course she did. Julia pretty much did it all, didn’t she?

How to make Vegetable Stock from Kitchen Scraps

Anyway, to make this vegetable stock, just save all of the small ends, skins and stems from the vegetables you are using for your meal preparation. I just put them all in a plastic gallon freezer bag. Everytime I have more to add to the bag, I pull it out and then pop it right back in the freezer. Things I use are onion and garlic skins and ends, celery and carrot ends or tops, asparagus ends, brussels sprouts stems, potato skins, tomato and pepper cores, just about any vegetable you are using can be used for stock. Once the bag is full, just throw all of the scraps in your crockpot or dutch oven on the stove (cook for 1-2 hours on stove) and barely cover with water. Let them cook on low for about 5 hours. Strain the solids from the stock. Then place the stock in freezer bags and use it in all of your favorite dishes!

Since every batch will have different scraps in different quantities, every batch will be different. I have done this stock for over a year and have never had a batch that I didn’t like. It’s great to be able to pull a bag out of the freezer to substitute for the water or chicken stock that I normally use! It stores in the refrigerator, in sterile pint canning jars, for several weeks, as well. I use it soups, stews, rice dishes, potatoes, gravy, anything you would normally use stock in. Use this Vegetable Stock from Kitchen Scraps in this Curried Carrot Soup for added flavor! Have you ever made Vegetable Stock from Kitchen Scraps? It is so easy, you should really give it a try! Then let me know what you think!!

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Enjoy! And have fun cooking!

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Recipe

Vegetable Stock from Kitchen Scraps

Waste not, want not! This Vegetable stock is so much better than any store bought! You control the ingredients

See Step by Step Photos Above!Most of our recipes have step by step photos and videos! Also helpful tips so that you can make it perfectly the first time and every time! Scroll up to see them!

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Total Time: 5 hours 5 minutes

Servings: 6 cups

Calories: 30kcal

Author: Beth Neels

Cost: $0

Equipment

• crockpot, 6 qt

Ingredients

• 1 gallon bag various vegetable scraps
• 1 various herbs
• 6 cups water, to cover

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Label a gallon freezer bag. Every time you make a dish and have vegetable scraps, add them to bag.
  
• When bag is full, add vegetable scraps to 6 qt. crock pot or a dutch oven. This photo has brussels sprouts stems, onion and garlic skins and ends and sweet pepper stems and seeds.
  
• Next, i usually clean out the vegetable drawer of any older vegetables. Here are some asparagus ends, 1/2 of an onion that was old (but not rotted) and some baby carrots that have seen better days.
  
• Add any herbs that you have in the vegetable drawer, as well. Here I added thyme and sage.
  
• Add water just to barely cover. Cook on low for 5 or 6 hours or on high for 1 to 2 hours.
  
• Strain solids from the stock through a colander. Use right away or place in freezer bags and freeze. The stock will freeze for many months.
  

Notes

Keep large freezer labelled in your freezer. As you are making other dishes, save all of the vegetable scraps you have. Vegetables that work well for vegetable stock are skin, leaves and ends of;

• onion
• garlic
• cauliflower
• brussels sprouts
• broccoli
• carrots
• celery
• parsnips
• squashes

Add smaller quantities of stems of herbs, such as;

• parsley
• thyme
• sage
• rosemary
• oregano

Nutrition

Calories: 30kcal | Sodium: 12mg | Calcium: 8mg

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