This Week’s Receipt & Bonus “Recipe”
Posted: May 5, 2009 Filed under: $ Left, Recipe, Soup, Tina Wrote It, Weekly Rundown 11 Comments
Add on 2.50 for Chinatown purchases of nori and a pile of baby bok choy and we’ve spent $26.12 this week. $3.88 left!
I’m actually pleased with all of the purchases on this receipt. I managed to get a bag of vital wheat gluten in order to make some seitan and that bag will last us (and make) a ton of seitan. Since it was a drizzly and cool day yesterday, I threw our freezer bag full of veggie scraps in a pot with water to make stock and wow – what a stock! I am constantly amazed at how a pile of vegetable peels and cuttings can create deliciousness. If you haven’t done this yet, try it out!
Freezer Scrap Stock
To Do:
- Every time you use onions, garlic, carrots, celery, parsley, mushrooms, leeks, scallions, etc. (anything that can go into a stock), save the peels and cut off ends and parts you don’t use in a freezer safe, heavy-duty ziplock bag or large container. Just in case, make sure you rinse these things well if you haven’t done so already.
- Keep adding to the bag. If you use a lot of vegetables, it will probably be full in about a week.
- Take bag out of freezer. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Add some bay leaves if you like.
- Bring to a boil and then let it simmer with a lid on. Add salt and pepper.
- Drain and save! You should have a huge pot of stock. I put half of it in a bag or container and freeze it and the other half in the fridge to have on hand.
- This ensures that you will have fresh stock just about every week with little or no effort.
30 Bucks a Week 
What a great idea with the vegetable leftovers! Thank you!! 🙂 Silke
What a great idea! How long should you simmer it? Is there anything you should NO put in? Would broccoli or cabbage be okay, or too strong?
Thanks all! I wouldn’t use broccoli or cabbage or any cruciferous vegetables – too strong! As for simmer time, about an hour? I really depends on how many veggies you have and how you want your broth to taste. Try tasting it after about 40 minutes and see if it could go longer.
Having checked Wikipedia to find out what “cruciferous” means…haven’t we put kale and other greens in the bag from time to time? I thought we usually just avoided cabbage and brussels sprouts.
In my opinion, the key is to have a lot of onion (the paper part is ok to include too), proportionally to other veggies.
No. I don’t put any of that stuff in the bag (remember, that’s why we made the chard stem pickle). Onion things good!
Like Phil said though, put in the paper part of the onion, peel and everything in the bag.
Thanks! I now have a small bag of vegetable “garbage” in the freezer. Can’t wait to make stock! (Hope it doesn’t matter that it’s approximately 60-70% carrots — I’ve been eating a lot of carrot sticks lately.)
Wow! What a great idea. I’d never have thought to do that! I’m going to try it for sure.
I like saving Parmesan rinds in the freezer to put in stock too.
Oh yeah, I love using the rinds to flavor things. I usually throw it in when I make the soup, but you can do it this way too!
Great idea! I’ve done that with the occasional chicken carcass and a ham bone (sorry, vegetarians!) but now that we’re preparing more food at home – thanks to you – I’ll be saving my vegetable trimmings. You can never have enough stock.
Yay for money leftover! I save mine in a Bulk Food Fund.. I have over 30 bucks in mine so far..
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