I love making homemade soups year-round, but even in the warmer months I regularly use broth for cooking quinoa, rice, beans, and pasta. We also regularly make recipes that call for 1/2 cup or 1 cup of broth, so we pretty much always keep it on hand.

The problem with store bought broth, as I mentioned in my Bone Broth Recipe post, is that it’s pretty expensive when you use it frequently. Especially considering that it’s made up mostly of water, making it at home just makes sense…and saves a lot of cents.

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Homemade Veggie Broth

From kitchen scraps!

1. As you use vegetables in your kitchen, save peels and ends in a container in the freezer.
   • Save all peels and trimmings except those containing dirt, mold, or pieces of rot
   • We include skins from onions and garlic as well as stems from herbs
   • We do not keep seeds from peppers, squash or other vegetables that we would otherwise discard
2. When the container is full (usually at least with 4 cups) you are ready to make broth!
3. To make broth: combine trimmings with water in a 1:2 ratio (i.e. 4 cups scraps + 8 cups water) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 1 hour but up to 4.
4. Scoop out the large pieces of scrap material, then strain through a fine mesh strainer. Store in the refrigerator for 1 week, or freeze indefinitely.

Tip: We use this All-Clad pot with a strainer insert to make broth. When we add the scraps, we put them in the deepest strainer insert, and then just lift them out when we’re done. Super easy!

We received our pot as a wedding gift, though it’s a bit pricey. For a more affordable option, check out this stock pot set from Cuisinart, which is currently on sale for only about $50!