One of the things we’ve been attempting to do in our household is look at the things we buy that we could probably make ourselves. We have the time now, so it’s really just a matter of making the effort.
We buy just about everything we can in bulk: raisins, nuts, flour, sugar, granola, beans, rice, oatmeal, spices, tea. It’s all organic, and worth every penny to us—food being the one thing we aren’t willing to compromise on in a way that leads us to less healthful options. We’d rather cut out all out-of-the-house entertainment so we can have good, organic food. Besides, if you shop in bulk and cook just about everything you eat from scratch, you’re still saving a whole lot of money.
Until recently, one of the things we bought in bulk was veggie broth powder. As vegans, we use it in lots of stuff—flavoring rice dishes, or for soup. We haven’t figured out how to make faux chicken broth yet, but it’s easy to make your own flavorful veggie stock. In fact, we’ve found it’s way better than the powder.
We are lucky enough to share the bounty from a large garden grown by my partner’s father. His mother cans, and we eat all kinds of delicious produce from it, both canned and frozen: green peppers, the sweetest onions, succulent raspberries, mouth-watering sweet corn, tasty tomatoes, green beans, and jellies/jams. All year round! Other produce lasts well into winter (and sometimes even spring)—onions, leeks, potatoes, dill, carrots, apples, and squash. The produce section of the co-op is our supplement supply.
It is, of course, silly to waste all the peels and produce waste by throwing it directly into the compost. It can go there after you’ve made yourself some wonderful stock.
All week, I’ll collect every peel, rind, and end cut and store it in the freezer in a bag or two. Apple cores or whole apples that have started to go bad also add a lovely flavor.
Then when I’ve got a few hours in the kitchen (like if I’m baking bread, or Mr. Meadowhawk will be about), I just take the tallest pot we’ve got, dump in all the veggie scraps, and fill it full of water. Boil on high uncovered for a couple hours until it’s reduced to less than half its former volume. Let it cool until you won’t burn yourself with the steam. (This is a perennial problem for me.) Then use a colander over another pot to strain out the veggie scraps, and pour the broth into sealed containers to store in the fridge (or freeze if you’re not going to use it within a week).
Voilá—an excellent stock for all your broth needs. And you’re getting triple the use out of your produce: First to eat, then to get stock, and then for compost. Super frugal!
Happiness 