If you've recently subscribed to receive fresh vegetables this year, kudos to you! (AND THANK YOU!) It really is a big risk to invest your money into something when you're not sure what the outcome will be. Will you get your money's worth? Will you be able to use everything you get and enjoy it all? Will you end up throwing things away and feeling disappointed?
I get it. I'm the kind of person who goes to a restaurant and takes every last scrap of bread home. I can't bear to throw food away, much less feel like I'm throwing my money away. We really want you to enjoy your experience this year, which is why I have a practice to show you now that I'm hoping you'll add to your food prep repertoire to help you later this season.
It costs NOTHING and takes next to no time, and it's extremely satisfying. You can make vegetable stock in the crock pot (or on the stove!) with your food scraps. Here's how easy it is.
Before I post the video, let me share one more thought with you. I'm not a professional chef, I have no culinary experience, and quite honestly, I feel a little silly in this video. But my insecurities are kind of what makes this vegetable subscription experience a beautiful thing. We want YOU to feel confident that you can enjoy this experience without any expertise of your own. In this video, I've just come in from the greenhouse and I'm about to make dinner for my family. Half the time, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I don't stress about it. On the other side is a delicious meal to enjoy with my family. Please don't ever feel like you lack the proper cooking expertise to have a vegetable subscription. We're all learning every time we cook with our veggies. And this is also why I'm creating a private Facebook group for us all to share in this summer. I know I can learn from YOU!
Instructions:
Step one: Save all of your food scraps in a container throughout the week. You can also add to a freezer bag little by little. Once you have a decent variety, you're ready to make the stock. In this medley, I have onion, garlic, cabbage, kale stems, and sweet potato scraps. I've read a lot about not using cabbage crops because they're overpowering, but I see no problem with it as long as you label the stock and use it for things like broccoli cheddar soup.
(Have veggie scraps ever looked this good?)
Step two: Don't call it vegetable broth, like I have been doing. Broth is seasoned, stock is not. (See what I mean about inexperience?)
Step three: Throw all of the scraps into the crock pot with 10 cups of water. Put it on high for about 6 hours. You can also simmer it on the stove for a few hours, but I like to be able to walk away.
Step four: Strain the scraps using a colander and ladle your stock into jars with a label of what veggies made up the stock. No two stocks are ever the same and that's what makes it so cool! Freeze these jars for up to 3 months and use them in soups, rice, etc.
Step five: Try not to spill it everywhere like I did. Smile that you made something so cool for FREE! Repeat every time you meal prep.
Ta-da!
