A Quick Guide to Making Vegetable Stock Like a Pro

For a short time I worked in the kitchen at Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery in Greenville, SC. It was there that I learned how to make dishes scream, "Seconds, please!" with some simple tips and tricks from our excellent chef. So, without further ado, here is a vegetable stock recipe that will knock all other store bought versions out of first and elevate any of your dishes to the next level.

Side Note: If you are ever in the area, run to the Swamp and enjoy a delicious salad and sandwich from the cafe and grab a few freshly baked breads and pastries for the journey home. You won't be sorry.

Here are some delicious veggies that I picked up from the grocery store that I planned to use in the soup, and the scraps for the vegetable stock.

"Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living." - Louis P. De Gouy

The challenge: To leave no vegetable scrap behind and reduce waste in the kitchen.

I often try to be as sustainable as possible in the kitchen from knowing where our ingredients come from and always trying to find local first to using every part of the ingredient, even if it is considered a scrap. One of the many things that I learned while working at Swamp Rabbit was how and what to compost. After my time at the Swamp, my husband and I invested in a few different types of compost - tumbler, self built in the dirt, and worms. But often times we need to space out what we include in our compost piles, so being a little more careful about tossing or using our scraps goes a long way to the health of our bodies and to the composition our compost dirt and worm tea!

To be honest, if I listed all of the healthy reasons to enjoy and make veggie stock, this post would go on and on, so I'll keep it short. Here are the five health benefits of vegetable stock:

• It's good for the gut

• It has lots of vitamins and minerals

• It's good for your bones - the minerals and calcium help build strong bones.

• It helps detoxify the body - this is all the magical work from the veggies.

• It keeps the skin happy, clear and glowing.

How to Make Vegetable Stock Like a Pro

Prep Time: 1 Hour

Make Time: 2 hour

Total Time: 3 HOURS

Vegetable scraps and other chopped veggies in a pot ready to make a stock

Vegetable Stock Ingredients: (makes about 10-12 cups)

*Note: You can't go wrong with the vegetable scraps that you can add to your stock. All vegetables have their benefits, taste profile, and overall addition to the stock (I have added a few benefits of each vegetable below). I usually freeze my scraps until I have enough to make broth, or if I want a little variety to the vegetables that I have on hand based on the time of year and what is available and in-season.

**Note: These ratios all depend on the size of pot you have on hand. I have used a Le Creuset and a GreenPan crockpot.

My tip: Add as many vegetable scraps as you can to fill the pot, then cover with filtered water. And, start with a solid base for the stock.

Here's a Winning Base as a must use for every stock:

• Carrots - contains lots of fiber for gut health

• Onions - anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial

• Celery - boosts our immune system with all of that Vitamin C

• 6 Cloves of Garlic - like onions, is anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal

• 6 - 10 Peppercorns

• Herbs - Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley (fresh is preferred) or Oregano and/or 2 Bay Leaves

• Thumb of Turmeric - a fantastic anti-inflammatory, but it must be paired with pepper to be absorbed

• Thumb of Ginger

• 1 teaspoon Citrus - I prefer lemon always

** If you plan on using this broth for certain dishes, think of the flavors you'd like and where those dishes originate. If you are making a dish with Mexican flare, add oregano, cumin, and lime. If Italian, think more rosemary, thyme and/or oregano.

Additional Ingredients:

• Mushrooms - contains Vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium

• Leeks - cleanses and purifies the body. They are also easier to digest than onions.

• Potatoes - keeps he liver grounded and stable

• Zucchini or other squash - steadies blood sugar levels

• Tomates - fantastic for heart health. If you cut a tomato in half, it looks like a heart!

• Broccoli - contains a cancer fighting phytochemical

• Beets - detoxifies - has high amounts of fiber, folate, potassium, and Vitamin C

It may also be of benefit to note that potatoes can add a richness to the broth, beets can change the color to a rich red, and too many carrot tops can be bitter. Keep this all in mind as you toss in your vegetable scraps. I'm not afraid to use carrot tops (as you can see in the photo), but the bitterness may deter you.

All the veggies are loaded in the crockpot and covered with water

Directions: This might be the easiest recipe - chop, toss, simmer, strain, and sip!

1. Gather your vegetable scraps, chopped vegetables, or anything and everything from the list above and toss in a pot.

2. Cover fully with water.

3. Bring the water to a simmer for at least one hour. Or if using a crockpot, bring to a low heat for 2-4 hours.

4. Pull out the larger vegetable scraps with tongs and place in a compost bowl.

5. Pour the vegetable stock through a strainer into bowl that has a pour spout.

6. Divide the vegetable broth into a large mason jar or smaller jars depending on your use. If I plan to use the broth for a recipe, I usually set aside at least 6 cups, and then freeze the remainder for another recipe.

7. **Please note: depending on the scraps and how much the vegetables have cooked down, you can repeat Steps 2-3 one more time to make even more. The color might be a tad lighter, but it can help stretch the vegetable scraps. Don't repeat this process if your both is already VERY light in color.

Enjoy!

All my light. All my love.

Namaste,

Jordan