Veggie Scraps Stock

Making your own veggie stock is so simple, cheap & satisfying! All you need is...

~ reusable plastic bags

~ clips (if your bags have no zips)

~ lots of scraps

~ fresh herbs & ground spices

~ colander & sieve

~ a big big pot & lots of big pots & a spoon

~ many measuring jugs

~ boiling water

~ a recipe (I find this stock is yummy in my lentil bolognese)

~ time

When chopping veggies I always put a bag to the side of my board & plonk in any scraps ~ wobbly ends ~ stalks ~ peel ~ skin ~ brown bits ~ juices then seal up & freeze. Usually my bags are full of onions & potatoes & carrots & peppers but I also make sure big flavours are in there too like chillies ~ olives ~ turmeric ~ lemon ~ fresh herbs ~ ginger!

I usually collect as many bags as my freezer will hold & when I can no longer find space to fit leftovers or frozen peas, I find a recipe & boil the stock down during the day.

I like to fill the pan with enough boiling water to cover the frozen scraps then boil down slowly on a low heat ~ this gives a watery but juicy & flavoursome stock. You can always add more water or boil in less to alter the strength of flavour!

This process takes a long long time ~ from saving scraps to boiling them down & squeezing out the goodness. I like that! It gives your cooking a wholesome & satisfying feel plus every batch tastes different ~ some spicy, some hearty. I like spending time pressing out the juices from mushed veggies in a colander & scraping out the niggly bits with a knife.

It's also really important to keep on straining the stock to make sure there are no lumpy bits which find their way into your cooking. I always have the issue of never having a measuring jug big enough so I end up using every jug, bowl & mug in the kitchen!

The colour isn't the most appetising but I think the ugliest food tastes the best. I like to add my stock in soups, tajines, sauces & couscous~based dishes! Also when the veggies are boiling down, if I already have a recipe in mind I like to add extra flavours to suit my cooking. So if I'm planning on making a tajine with the stock I throw in extra chilli ~ lemon ~ garlic ~ fresh herbs ~ turmeric ~ ground spices.

Here is a photo of my chopped veggies ready to make my lentil bolognese! If you cast your eyes to the top right, you can see I'm already re-starting the stock process with a reusable bag. For the bolognese, I used the big pot I boiled the scraps down in to get allllll the flavours!

This time I used my earthly scraps stock in a hearty bolognese. The recipe is so simple & cheap ~ just like the stock! I make some every few months & store it in my freezer for a simple but yummy pasta bowl when I have no fresh food in.

Veggie Scraps Stock

Serves: 1 big pot

Prep time: 20-30 mins

Cook time: at least 2hrs+

Total time: 2hrs30mins+

Ingredients:

frozen veggie scraps

& to mix in while simmering

fresh herbs
garlic
chillies
fresh lemon juice
Tabasco
ground spices

Method:

As talked about above, while chopping veggies always keep a reusable bag nearby to plonk in any unwanted scraps & then freeze in preparation for a big stock mix up ~ I usually empty my freezer of scraps bags when I have a recipe in mind or simply when my freezer is about to burst!
Throw the frozen veggies into a very big pot & save the bags.
Just about cover the scraps with boiling water, stir & simmer on a low heat for at least over 2 hours ~ adding more water if necessary.
At this point & if I have a recipe in mind, I add extra spinklings into the pot for more flavour in my cooking. So if I'm making a tajine, I may stir in chilli ~ lemon ~ garlic ~ fresh herbs ~ turmeric ~ ground spices while the veggies are simmering.
Once the veggies have soaked up enough water, using a ladle transfer some veggies into a colander that is resting above another big pot. Now, with a wooden spoon squeeze out all the goodness & put the pressed mushed veggies to one side ready for composting. Repeat until all the scraps have been pressed.
Next, using a sieve strain the juice in the colander pan & original pot into yet another big pan. Save the original big pot!
Keep on straining into pots to get rid of any niggly bits.
Once the stock is free of unwanted lumps, transfer into measuring jugs ready to use in your next recipe. Or alternatively, store in a container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
If you're planning on using the stock in a recipe immediately after, I always save the original big pot to cook into ~ you can get allll the hearty veggie flavours!
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