Kitchen Waste has Value

While I was in the middle of preparing a holiday meal, I stopped in mid-chop and looked at the big pile of potato peelings, celery trimmings and carrot scraps. “What a shame to toss this kitchen waste into the compost bin,” I thought.

It occurred to me I had read recipes for making potato peel broth, so I thought my pile of scraps might have some potential. Because I was too busy at the time to start a new cooking project, I simply stuffed everything into a plastic bag and put it in the fridge.

A few days later I set about to make a batch of vegetable stock. I grabbed the bag of vegetable discards and cleaned out the vegetable bin of a packet of wilted parsley, a soft sweet potato, a quarter of a green pepper, a few green onions and anything else that was past its prime.

Because I knew I’d be straining the mixture after it cooked, I thought it would be fine to add small pieces of vegetables in with the peelings and a whole vegetable or two.

Stock Pot Put to Use

All these leftover vegetables and scraps–once destined for the compost pile–turned into an aromatic vegetable stock that smelled incredible as it was simmering. I can’t tell you how pleased I was to be able to make something out of almost nothing. To make your own vegetable stock, you’ll need the following:

Stock pot
Well-washed organic vegetable peels, vegetable ends, whole vegetables, fresh herbs and other discards
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns or fresh-ground pepper
2-3 bay leaves
1-2 cloves garlic
Kosher salt to taste (optional)

1. Add vegetable scraps to fill stock pot half full.
2. Cover vegetables with water.
3. Add pepper, bay leaves and garlic.
4. Bring water to a boil and then simmer at least one hour or more.
5. Allow mixture to cool.
6. Strain into a container; refrigerate or freeze.
7. Discard or compost the cooked scraps.

Uses for Vegetable Stock

After simmering for several hours, the vegetable waste turned into a flavorful, light brown stock. I used this first batch to make a delicious turkey noodle soup, but vegetable stock could be used for many other kinds of soup, too.

The stock could also be used instead of water to boil potatoes for mashing, for cooking rice and sautéing vegetables. Vegetable stock can be substituted for water and meat-based stocks in most recipes by using it in the same quantity.

My experiment was so rewarding I plan on saving my vegetable scraps so I can improve my stock on a weekly basis.

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Berry & Bird Rabbiting Spade, Trenching Shovel

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Ideal Tool for All Gardeners Use: Our heavy duty trenching shovel is designed by a professional gardening tool designer. Lifetime Durability: This heavy duty drain spade is made of high-quality stainless steel, it is very strong and durable, even if it is used for high-strength work, it will not bend. Ergonomic Wood Handle: The handle of this planting spade is made of ash hardwood harvested from FSC-certified forests and has an ergonomically streamlined design, making it very suitable for everyone's hands. Multi-Use: This digging shovel is generally used for digging trenches, digging holes, transplanting, edging, moving compost, cutting thick turf and furrowing. The sharp blade allows you to cut, scoop, dig, lift and dice in hard soil.

Buy at Amazon

Gardener's Log Book from NYBG

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers.

Buy at Amazon