Recipe by Closed Loop Cooking

With Earth Day just around the corner, we’re thinking of ways to create less waste and prevent plastic packaging from ending up in our oceans.

Making your own veggie stock is a great way to use up the tail ends of your vegetable scraps, and skip non-recyclable packaging altogether! As you cook throughout the week, collect tough onion skins, garlic peels, carrot ends, celery leaves, herbs on the edge (including the stem!), broccoli stalks, squash peels, etc. and freeze until you’ve got enough to work with.

Use this vegetable stock recipe from @closedloopcooking as inspiration for your scrap stock!

Ingredients:

• 1 – 1 1/2 medium onions (can include scrap pieces)

• 3 – 4 medium carrots (can include scrap pieces)

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed (can include scrap pieces)

• 2 – 3 celery stalks, leaves included (can include scrap pieces)

• 8 cups water

• 2 – 3 lemon peels

• 2 – 3 tablespoons leftover herbs + herb stems (rosemary, thyme and sage are great)

• 1 tablespoon white vinegar (helps balance the stock)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 – 2 tablespoon salt (to taste)

Method:

1. Roughly chop onion, carrots, and celery. Crush garlic (leaving the skin on).

2. Heat olive oil in large pot on stove. Add all vegetables to pan and sauté for 3 – 5 minutes to release flavor and until onions are soft.

3. Add water, lemon peels, white vinegar, and herbs, and bring to a boil.

4. Turn heat down, add 1 tablespoon of salt, and stir. Let simmer for 1 – 1 ½ hours. Stir occasionally and salt to taste towards the end. You don’t want to over boil, otherwise the stock will take on a bitter flavor. Make sure to taste as you go and keep an eye on time.

5. Strain out vegetable scraps to be composted.

6. Save stock for later or whip together a simple soup by adding Blue Evolution Penne Pasta with Superfood Seaweed and seasonal veggies. Enjoy!