Like many families around the world, my family and I have decided to embrace a greener lifestyle to help support reduction of our waste, and therefore our carbon footprint as a family. We use reusable grocery bags and Beeswax “plastic” wrap, recycle plastics we unfortunately sometimes end up with in a responsible fashion, refuse straws for our beverages, and use our HydroFlasks religiously instead of buying single use plastic bottles……etc, etc, etc. HOWEVER, as a food blogger/wife/mother who cooks every meal, I was getting tired of having so much food waste. We have a yard waste/food waste recycle bin, but I feel like it serves to negate all the work that goes into A) shopping for the perfect stuff for my needs that week B) the respect I have for the food I choose to eat and serve my family C) ALL THE RECYCLING…..like, get it together Kim.
So one day after I organized my weekly menu and wrote out my list, I went to Winco and Freddie’s, and upon returning home with my groceries, I started cleaning out my refrigerator/rotating produce, etc., to make room for my new purchases….and there was still A LOT of life left in some of my produce, some almost used up herbs, and half a roasted chicken from the day before. So while I prepared Sunday dinner, I set aside all of my peels and trimmings from the mise en place and after dinner, I started my first batch of freezer stock. You guys….so stupid easy and really stretches groceries a liiiiiiiiittle bit further while adding some chefy razzmatazz to all your stock needs!
My caveat: DON’T BOTHER WITH PEPPER SCRAPS…THE PITH MAKES THE BROTH BITTER. PEW.
I now have a designated veggie scrap jar so that I can continue to get the most out of my grocery budget, help make the most of what would normally be designated as waste, and stock my freezer with veggie, chicken, and seafood stock to use in my recipes!
Instructions:
MAKE SURE TO RINSE/SOAK YOUR PRODUCE AHEAD OF USE…THE WORLD BE GRIMY, YO.
Step 1—Literally just save your veggie scraps/chicken carcasses/shellfish shells for the week. This includes onion peels/garlic peels/herb odds and ends.
Step 2—In a large stockpot, toss all the saved scraps and such in with any herbs you have on hand, a couple of bay leaves, and 20 cups of water.
Step 3—Bring to a simmer and let simmer for a 4-5 hours. Remove from heat.
Step 4—Once cooled, strain into jars and place into refrigerator overnight. In morning, add lids and place into freezer. Use as you need to make all your dishes bombdiggity!
The beginning of something really REALLY good!
The finished product…thankful for a freezer full of stock!