The secret ingredient to flavor packed meals!

My mother taught me at a young age that it is very easy to make things yourself. We were not rich, so I know that she was making wise financial decisions for our family, and sharing with me in a way that made my child brain excited to learn. This Do-It-Yourself mentality has always been a part of my life, especially when my needs are not being met by what corporate provides. One thing I’ve learned to DIY that is WAY better than what you find at the store is veggie broth. And not only is it easy, but it’s basically free.

Instead of throwing away your veggie ends, consider starting a veggie broth bag! Simply grab a gallon freezer bag and start putting your veggie ends in there whenever you cook. Then leave it in the freezer until it is full and you’re ready to make your broth. Not only does this avoid wasting money on things you’ve purchased, but it avoids spending money on things you could already have. Enter your Veggie Broth Era.

With all of the veggie ends that you create, you can easily make veggie broth to use for cooking dried beans (another great way to bring flavor and save money), cooking rice (broth rice is so much more flavorful than water rice), and making soups, chili, or pasta sauce. You can even use it to splash in your cooking when you need a little more liquid. The star anise and the clove give this veggie broth a deep flavor you will appreciate in any recipe! And with as many veggies that go into the mix, there’s a whole slew of health benefits you are getting while avoiding additives and preservatives that tend to harm our bodies more than help our food.

Our favorite veggie scraps to use are broccoli stems, cauliflower stems and leaves, beet stems and peels, carrot ends, squash ends, sweet potato ends (and skins if you don’t eat them as they have great nutritional value), brussel sprout ends, pepper ends, eggplant ends, the silly middle part of celery, herb sticks after you’ve taken all the leaves off, and really anything you can think of! However, I will say from trial and error…avoid citrus peels like the plague. They will make your broth VERY bitter. And definitely avoid any rotten bits of veggie; we are better than the corporations.

Making your own broth won’t just save your wallet, but it will elevate your recipes to a whole new level. Then you can share this amazing tip with someone else and blow their mind just like a friend did for me! Enjoy!

The Easiest Veggie Broth Recipe

Yield: 1 gallon of broth (128 oz)

Cost of Goods: ~$0.50; It costs an average of $2 per 32 oz container at Walmart with so many preservatives and additives that are harsh on the body.

Ingredients:

1 Gallon Bag Full of Veggie Scraps (Frozen or Fresh, doesn’t matter)
64 oz of Filtered Water
3 Star Anise Stars
5-8 Whole Clove Pieces

Tools Needed:

1 Gallon Freezer Bag
4 32-oz Mason Jars or other liquid storage device
8 QT Pressure Cooker or a Crock Pot
Mesh Strainer
Large pot

Get ‘Er Done:

Add all of your ingredients to a 12-cup InstaPot Pressure Cooker or Crock Pot. We use this one, though I believe really any one will work! InstaPot Pressure Cooker
Set the manual pressure to 35 minutes. (if using a Crock Pot, set it to low and let it cook 8-12 hours)
Let the broth pressure cook, then when it’s done, let it stay on “keep warm” for the next 8-12 hours. This will continue with a slow cook process and will get the most flavor out of your veggies! Cook it overnight and you don’t have to wait around for it to finish!
Strain your veggies into a large pot, squeezing all that nutritious good liquid out, then distribute into your 32 oz mason jars.
Enjoy! Be sure to date the jars so you don’t forget when you made it!

Notes about this recipe:

Pro Tip: Keep the Gallon Freezer bag in the freezer after you empty it so you can easily fill it again!
This broth keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 2 months! If you freeze it, put it in mason jars, fill up to the freeze line, and leave the lid somewhat loose. This will allow the pressure to release while it freezes and your glass won’t break.
To keep the cost of goods down, it is WAY cheaper to buy Star Anise online. I use this one from Amazon and it has lasted me over a year! Here → Star Anise
Same with Whole Clove. Find it here → Whole Clove
If your pressure cooker is like mine, it will not appreciate being so full. When it beeps at you and says there is no pressure, don’t open it, just simply reset the cook time. It will finish building pressure the second time!
Be sure to squeeze as much liquid out of the veggie bits before throwing them out. That liquid is chock full of nutrients!
There will be residue that settles at the bottom of the jars. Just shake it up before you use it!
Humans aren’t the only ones that enjoy yummy veggie broth. We sprinkle a little on our dogs’ food every night and they love it! Delicious and nutritious for the whole family!
Waste not, want not: you can compost or share your strained veggie scraps with your chickens!

The Easiest Veggie Broth