The Secret to Cheap (Or Free) Vegetable Broth
If you like to make soup, this post is for you. Or if you like money saving secrets. Or just secrets in general. Read on!
I use a lot of broth. I have discovered various broth solutions, but this one is by far the cheapest, and therefore, most rewarding. Are you ready for the secret? Tell your friends.
Get a freezer bag. Over a few weeks (or months, whatever), throw in all of your veggie scraps, wilting veggies, herb stems, and cheese rinds and store them in the freezer. Whenever you feel the urge to make broth, you just throw it all in a pot of water and boil it for an hour or so, then strain.
That’s it! This is an awesome time and money saver. You’ve got everything at your fingertips, whenever you’re ready. Example A: Today I decided I wanted to make minestrone, but I didn’t have enough broth on hand for the big batch I wanted to make. I remembered my freezer bag, threw it all together with some extra herbs and let it boil. Instant broth!
Some examples of things you should throw in: onions, carrots, celery, leeks, thyme stems, rosemary stems, cheese rinds, and whatever else strikes your fancy. The more flavor the better.
So go spread the word- it’s a recession, people!
I do this with chicken bones/scraps after a roast chicken and veggie scraps, but for some reason, I never thought to use the overabundance of veggie scraps for vegetable broth too!
The cheese rinds part confuses me . . . does cheese work in a veggie broth? If so, I’m totally in on that.
My vegetable/chicken/beef stock solution (so to speak) is Better than Bouillon: http://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Bouillon-Vegetable-Base/dp/B00016LA9S
It lasts forever and makes a truly excellent broth, and you never have to freeze or save or find a way to use the leftovers. It’s proven very cost effective for me!
Great idea. I actually need to do this more.
wonderful idea. i have wilting celery in the fridge that i ‘forgot’ to make my favorite soup with (a celery leek soup that is out of this world simple yet delicious & filling). i will just boil it down w/ the baby carrots my family has rejected (i can’t eat all of them myself!) and some onion and use the broth for all sorts of things.