EARTH DAY TIP: Make Vegetable Stock!

I like to think of everything in our kitchen, like the Native American's thought of the buffalo or like we use urban wood at Alabama Sawyer. You want to use every part of everything you can, as many times as you can. And not just the meat.

Here's an easy tip. Before you add vegetable cuttings to your Noaway Countertop Compost Bin: Make Vegetable Stock!

Vegetable stock ready to use in the fridge works for soups, grains and tons of recipes.

Why you should make stock:

Stock not only brings tremendously concentrated flavor to any dish, it is also the way to turn scraps that might otherwise go to waste into a delicious, versatile, and long-lasting super ingredient.

What qualifies as scraps:

Excess aromatic vegetables or vegetables that are on their last legs like celery cores, slightly wilted carrots, or that random half an onion, stashed in the fridge, but never finished. Stock is also a great way to use parts of vegetables that you don’t normally cook with, like leek greens, celery tops, scallion roots, garlic nubs, tomato seeds and fennel fronds. Not everyone likes onion skins and carrot peels in stock as they may not add a ton of flavor, but I save and use it all. The final call is up to you!

Imperfect vegetables that are perfect in stock:

Onions, carrots, celery, garlic, leeks, fennel, mushrooms, thyme, parsley. NOTE: Avoid cruciferous veggies like cabbage or brussels sprouts as they can result in a bitter stock.

Fun ingredients to add to Vegetable Stock.

• Fresh herbs like thyme and parsley

• Tomato paste adds sweetness, acidity, and savoriness

• Parmesan cheese rind adds savory flavor

• a splash of wine!

Simple directions for Vegetable Stock:

1. Use a stockpot or your pressure cooker. You can sauté vegetables first, or just throw them in with water. On a stovetop, bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until stock is reduced by half, 1-1 1/2 hours. Use the slow cooker or pressure cooker function of your instantpot according to the directions.
2. Strain stock through a mesh sieve or colander into a large bowl; discard solids into your Noaway Countertop Compost Bin for another use in your compost pile.
3. Use a funnel and pour into jars, screw on a clean lid and refrigerate. The cooling precess will create a vacuum seal.

I keep my replacement compost bin insert in the fridge for the vegetables and cuttings I plan to use in a batch of vegetable both.