When life hands you more free vegetables than you can eat, make vegetable stock I say. If you’ve never made your own vegetable stock before, trust me, it’s super easy. You can totally do it!
Ingredients
- 14 quarts water
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 onion, quartered
- 3 carrots, large, broken in half
- 5 celery stocks
- 10 mushrooms, halved
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Directions
Place everything in a large stock pot, cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
Strain.
Once the vegetable stock has cooled, use a funnel and place the stock in mason jars until ready to use. The vegetable stock should keep for 5 days in the refrigerator or up to one year in the freezer.
Have you ever made vegetable stock from scratch before?
Do you add anything special, or just use what you have on hand?
~Mavis
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Skelton says
I love making my own stock. I use veggie scraps for mine: potato peels, carrot peels, onion skins, celery leaves, etc. It’s basically free and adds great taste to my recipes.
Sandra Sanders says
I’ve never thought of saving veggie scraps for broth – duh! I’m not composting right now as every method seems to attract oppossum into our yard and the dogs go bonkers. Now I’ll start saving scraps in the frig until ready to make broth. Thanks!
Robin says
I do this and its awesome to have your own stock on hand. I go out back and cut thyme, marjoram, and sometimes sage to throw in the pot. Typically add garlic too as garlic is a mandatory ingredient in almost everything we eat. Great post.
Sophia says
We make all our own stock…vegetable, chicken, beef, seafood…it’s so much tastier and healthy! Like Robin, we also add garlic to our vegetable stock (and most everything else we eat). Wonderful post!….love, love, love your website, too!
Trish says
Every time I cut up fresh veggies, which is usually everyday, I put all skins, peels and ends in a bowl that I have in my freezer. When the bowl is filled, it’s time to make veggie stock.
cindy tessier says
I’ve never tried making just a vegetable sock… usually it’s chicken or sometimes beef to which I add onion, celery and carrots or other root vegetables to simmer with the bones. So flavorful! I love your site.
Keri says
I save all of my vegetable scraps and use them when I make chicken stock. I always say I’m going to make vegetable stock one day, but then I end up using the scraps for chicken stock instead. I even use scraps that “they” say you shouldn’t, like tomato, bell pepper, asparagus trimmings, bell pepper tops, etc. I’ve never had any complaints about foods cooked with my homemade stock, so I figure why waste perfectly good veggie trimmings, right?
Mary Ann says
I know this is a stupid question, but I’ve never made a recipe that calls for vegetable stock. What kinds of recipes are you using it with?
Mavis says
Pretty much any recipe that calls for chicken stock you can use vegetable stock. 🙂
Susan says
I love making all kinds of stock. I recently started sauteing the veggies in olive oil before adding the water. It gets a deeper, smokier flavor. You can also add tomato paste to the olive oil for a really nice color and caramelized flavor. But sometimes I just throw everything in the pan and go. If I have time, I start with cold water and simmer very slowly.
Old veggies are supposed to release more flavor than fresh, so it’s a great activity for when it’s time to clean out the crisper!
Susan says
PS, another tip (I’m really passionate about homemade stock) is to freeze some of it in 1 cup portions. Then when a recipe calls for just a little, you don’t have to thaw a soup portion.
sharon says
I know this is an odd question. But I have too much homemade chicken stock. Besides chicken soup does anyone have any ideas to use some of it up?
Kaia says
You can use chicken stock to flavor lots of other soups, cook quinoa or rice with it, and I just used some in homemade refried beans!
Ashley says
Any broth based soup, stuffing, gravy, casseroles that involve rice or quinoa, cutting the dairy down in mac and cheese, etc, Hmmmm….I went thru like 10 cups of homemade turkey stock within the past 3 weeks and for the life of me I can’t think of what I did with it!
Kaia says
I have made chicken stock a few times and just want to warn people–do NOT freeze it in “narrow” mouth mason jars! I broke about 4 jars that way before I learned and now use plastic freezer containers.
suzanne says
Make veg and chicken all the time in the crockpot. Julia Child said you cant overcook it so I just plug it in and let her go. I want to try beef. Is it the same process? I’ve heard it smells more. I too use most scraps and chop and freeze anything before it turns. I use it for anything that calls for water except sweets lol. I’ve no problem freezing in mason jars but I leave a lot of head room. Love the idea of freezing in smaller portions too.
Sarah says
For bone broths (beef, chicken, etc) mom always says to add a splash of lemon juice to get the most nutrients from the bones. That probably goes for veggies too? …I love the crockpot idea! Now I just need more uses for stocks! 😉
Sandra Sanders says
Your mom is right — it helps leach the most goodness from the bones. I use a splash of Braggs RAW apple cider vinegar, but maybe any acidic will do.
Kathryn says
I pressure can a lot of vegetable stock and bone broths. Then I have it for soup starter, spaghetti sauce, etc.