Homemade Vegetable Broth

This is the best time of the year to take all those great summer vegetables scraps and make veggie broth. I am so thankful that a friend of mine suggested this to me last year. Veggie broth is a great substitute for chicken broth in many recipes.

Making veggie broth now will save you time and money in the upcoming fall and winter months. I am all about saving money. It is also healthier than the ones you buy in the store.

Almost any vegetable can be used to make this broth. However, I do not recommend potato because it makes the broth too earthy. Each time I cut the ends of an onion, or a tomato, or a carrot, celery, scallion, broccoli, garlic (pretty much any vegetable) .... I put them into a container and store them in the refrigerator until I have enough scraps to make my broth.

Homemade Vegetable Broth

Wash all the vegetables or scraps that you want to use.

Fill a stockpot with water about 1/2 full. Add vegetables and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil you can then lower the heat to simmer for about an hour.

I also add a bay leaf, dried parsley flakes, Italian seasoning and a little pinch of salt. These ingredients are all optional.

Turn heat off after it simmers for an hour and let it cool before transferring to containers.

Once cooled transfer to freezer containers, label and then you are all set the next time you need broth.

I use this broth for refried beans, soup, crockpot dishes, to simmer vegetables or in the place of water in some recipes.