Subj : Cramping
To   : Shawn Highfield
From : Carol Shenkenberger
Date : Fri May 24 2024 15:31:49

  Re: Cramping
  By: Shawn Highfield to DAVE DRUM on Fri May 24 2024 09:29 am


On storing bits of vegetables for vegetable soup.

I store peelings, wilted or rubbery veggies of all but potatoes and tomatoes in
the freezer until I have a gallon bag worth.  Since we eat close to vegetarian
more often than not, this doesn't take long.  Just boil any rutabega skins for
a bit to get the wax off first.

Put this in a big stock pot with 1 gallon or so of water and add contents of
bag.

Common ingredients: skins of onions (the brown papery stuff) plus ends
wilted cabbage
ends and peels of carrots
tough mushroom stems
ends of squash/zuccini
peels of turnip
cores of califlower
cored of cabbage
ends of celery
seeds and mush from deseeding winter squash with acorn most common
Anything goimg south but not moldy or slimey (mustard greens are common)
rubbery Gai Lan
ends of Japanese eggplant

The water should cover them (oat a bit).  Add more water if needed and along as
it boils down.  (low boil, just past simmer vs rapid)
Add 1 tsp salt (do not omit it or the batch will taste bland and adding salt
later dosn't fix it).

low boil/almost simmer but just above, for 2 hours the taste test.  if still
weak, low boil for another hour but don't replace the lost water.

This vegetable broth counts as 'free' as it's entirely built of things you'd
normally throw out.  

Take a deep plastic container and a big strainer lined with paper towels or
cheese cloth and dump the pot in it to drain.  Press the veggies down to get as
much broth out as you can.  Discard all veggies as they are useless now (you
can compost them).  You should have a clear fairly deep brown (from the onion 
skins) Vegetable broth and probably near a gallon of it.  Store in fridge or
freeze some of it in amounts you commonly use.  If it wasn't clear and you want
that, strain again.

Note, the omision of all potato bits or similar such as sweet potatoes is to
make a clear broth.

Enjoy!

    xxcarol
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