Your kitchen scraps have more value than you think! That stash is not only full of vitamins and minerals, it also can save you money, is environmentally-friendly, and makes your dishes rich and flavorful. The studies showing us that you can get a collagen boost from homemade bone broth? Well, there’s that too.
It’s also easy to make and you will find you can add homemade stock to a bunch of dishes! I’ll give you a few ideas below!
This recipe is so easy in fact, it is broken down
into just a few steps:
- Collect “kitchen scraps” over the week – this could be stuff left over on your cutting board (think onion, carrot, celery ends, garlic skins, leftover bones of all kinds, skins from other veggies you’ve peeled, even leftover herb sprigs. Get creative!
- Keep all scraps in the fridge in a large bag, no longer than a week and a half.
- When your bag is full or you’re just ready to make broth – inspect that scraps do not have any mold. Remove if so; the rest is fine.
- Pour scrap contents into one large stock pot, dutch oven, or a crockpot!
- Fill the pot until the contents are covered with water – about 1 1/2 – 2 inches above the contents.
- Add more things if you want – additional herbs and seasoning; totally up to you!
- Put a lid on it and heat the stovetop to low/simmer. If you are using a crockpot – set it on low for 8 hours. You can leave the crockpot unattended which is nice. If you are using a stock pot or Dutch oven – cook over simmer for 4-8 hours. The longer you cook the stock the more nutrient-dense it will be.
- I usually make my stock on Sundays because I know I will be around the house doing things. That’s where the crockpot comes in handy, because you can leave the house and go about your day.
- Lastly once the stock is a deep color and has simmered for a long time, strain vegetables and reserve the liquids in containers of your choice. Extra credit: compost the strained veggies.
- It makes a lot! This is great, however! I go through my entire stock in one week, just in time for the next batch.
So what can you use stock for?
Many things!
- You can make your own homemade soup. This makes an excellent, dense, and healthy base.
- Instead of tea, pour yourself a nourishing cup of broth/stock.
- When I make millet, it calls for several cups of liquid. When making a savory millet dish, I use all stock. Half the stash is already gone by that point.
- I use stock in my stir-fry or vegetable dishes instead of using oils, butter, etc. This also saves money!
- You can create sauces and dressings with stock as the base.
- Freeze stock in ice cube trays for later use!
Want Other Homemade Lectin-Free,
Nightshade-Free Stock and Soup Recipes?
