Veggie Broth

 

I save my ends of celery or bits of wilted celery, onion parts, carrot shavings or ends, stems of herbs, mushroom pieces,  pieces of left over green and red pepper. Mostly pieces that would have gone to the compost. I throw them all together in a zip lock bag in the freezer and when the bag is full, I put them in a large stock pot with filtered water. To that I add 2 small potatoes cut up, some garlic, a bay leaf, 8 whole peppercorns, a tablespoon of white miso, and some oregano. 

Let it all simmer together for a minimum of an hour but usually closer to 2 hours.  Cool it down in the pan and then strain it out. (Now the stewed veggie scraps are ready for the compost!)  I just strain it through cheesecloth. If I strained through a coffee filter it would be a very clear broth but I don't have the patience for that. I then freeze the broth in 2 cup or 4 cup measurements. This is simply perfect as a base for soups or to simmer lentils. It's easy and yummy, and you know exactly what the ingredients are and where they came from.