KITCHEN SCRAP VEGETABLE STOCK

4-5 cups stock, 30 minutes - 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp ghee or cooking oil

• 4-5 cups veggie scraps (ends of celery, carrots, onion, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, fennel bulb, etc - see notes below) 

• 3 bay leaves 

• 10-15 whole peppercorns

• 2 whole cloves 

• 1/2 -1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)

• 8-9 cups water  

  
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat ghee or oil in a large pot over medium heat.

2. Add the veggie scraps and spices, do not add salt, heat until soft/ not browned (about 4-5 mins).

3. Add the water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and allow to cook for 45 mins - 1 hour or until the water has reduced 25-50% (the more reduced, the more concentrated the stock). Still do NOT add salt.

4. Optional but this gives some "steeping" time: Turn off the heat, allow to sit covered for about 20-30 mins.

5. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, collecting the stock, pushing any extra juice out of the vegetables by using the back of a fork or spoon.

#vata #pitta #kapha #fall #winter #spring #summer

Notes

• Vegetable scraps - anytime you cut vegetables (which should be all the time since you are part of this app :)), save the trimmings/ unwanted pieces in a large bag and place it in your freezer. That way, you can use these trimmings to make homemade veggie stock whenever you want. You can use the skins of vegetables, just add them towards the end of the cooking process since they are more delicate.

• Why no salt? Because this is stock not a broth - one of the key differences between the two. When you make a stock, some of the water evaporates out. But the salt does not evaporate out. It condenses within a now smaller amount of liquid. If you add salt during this process, you will likely oversalt the stock. Not to mention, stocks are used for cooking other dishes such as grains, soups, stews etc. That process ALSO condenses the cooking liquid. So, if you the stock you are using is already oversalted, you can very easily oversalt the dish you are making and ruin it. So, even if it is tempting, do not salt your stock.

• Can I add a bouquet garni? YES. A bouquet garni adds great flavor but I don't always have the ingredients around, so I left it out. If you have it, use it - take a leek leaf and wrap fresh parsley, 3 thyme sprigs, the bay leaves and cloves from the recipe inside the leaf then use a kitchen twine to tie it together (alternatively, wrap everything in a cheese cloth) and add with the water - so it is cooking with the stock in a little teabag.

• Storage: You can store this stock in the fridge or the freezer. It has a shelf life of 3 days in the fridge and 3 months in freezer. For some, it might be a good idea to make stock whenever your vegetable freezer bag is full and then freeze the stock. That way, you always have a nutrient dense and flavorful homemade stock on hand and don't have to buy it.

• The amount of vegetables: in this recipe I listed 4-5 cups of veggies to 8-9 cups water. If you add more vegetables than this amount, that is fine, it may be a darker and more rich stock...which can be a good thing. This all depends on taste - I always eyeball it :).

• Partially covered? This is my preference. I do this for herbal decoctions too, which is essentially the same process as this stock, just with different measurements. I prefer partially covered as opposed to no cover, so not all the volatile oils escape, but you are still able to have the water evaporate out and have the liquid condense.