Make the most of your vegetable crisper, reduce waste, save money and nutritious simple kitchen surplus vegetable stock.

This makes a great base for soups, stews, slow cooks and sauces.

Or you can add some extra fresh veggies, small amount of meat or noodles for a light meal or snack.

Ingredients (follow very loosely) for 1 serving

• Onion, tops, bottoms, and skins
• Celery, tops and bottoms
• 1 cup carrot (225 g), tops, bottoms, and skins
• Mushroom, stem
• Garlic, tops, bottoms, and skins
• Potato (any type), tops, bottoms, and skins
• Parsley, stems, including when herbs have gone to seed (or any other herbs such as coriander, rosemary, basil, thyme)
• Water, as needed
• Salt and pepper to taste

Please note…..

Can add other leftover vegetables such as zucchini ends, tomato tops / bottoms / skins, corn, beans, lentils.

It is best to avoid cauliflower, broccoli or brussel sprout stems as it can make the stock taste bitter.

Preparation

Remove the tops/bottoms/skins/stems from any vegetables you are preparing and place them in a freezer bag or sealed container – they can stay frozen up to 6 months.

Note: You can add many other vegetable scraps (especially the sweet ones!) – i.e. corn cobs, squash, pumpkin, zucchini, and other squash, beet greens, fennel, chard, lettuce, parsnips, green beans, pea pods, capsicum, eggplant, asparagus, and herbs like dill, thyme, parsley, and basil.

Continue stockpiling until the bag is full.

Place the contents of bag or container into a pot and fill ¾ of the pot (or until scraps just start to float) with water.

Bring water to a boil and then let it simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Strain water out of stock.

Refrigerate stock up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months.

Enjoy!