Crockpot Vegetable Stock

Back to the "waste not" theme from yesterday ... I recently read an article that changed my world pertaining to food waste. It's a simple concept: Dedicate a freezer container to clean vegetable scraps and, when the container is full, turn it into stock.

Changed. My. World.

Now, I probably get that bag out of the freezer twice a day to contribute some scraps and the bag was full in about two weeks. My first attempt at achieving a flavorful vegetable stock was a success, and waaaay too easy! I love to use stock as a low-fat and no-sugar way to flavor grains by substituting stock for water and butter or oil.

For good measure, I sauteed some shallots in olive oil beforehand just in case, added my cheapskate version of a bouquet garni (tossed in dried marjoram, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf without the cheesecloth), 8 peppercorns, and enough water to cover the vegetables.


The first bag contained:

• Tomato stems and cores
• Red pepper stems, seeds, and that white stuff on the ribs
• Butternut squash skins
  
• Outer layers of onions, garlic, shallots
• Avocado pit

After 8 hours, I pulled the solids from the pot, pushed the water out of them using a colander,

and had a delicious stock. Be sure to cool it down quickly before putting it in the fridge or freezer! I use freezer packs and a few ice cubes.



When saving scraps, DO include:

• Onion peels (will give it a darker color)
  
• Garlic ends
• Stems of leafy greens
• Carrot tops and greens
• Apple and pear cores
• Stems of fresh herbs
• Turnip and parsnip peelings

When saving scraps, DO NOT include:

• Bitter or waxy plant parts, such as cucumber peels, stone fruit pits, or citrus peels (oops! I had an avocado pit in there, but it seemed to do no harm)
  
• Potatoes (they do not freeze well)
• Anything moldy
  

An additional bonus with vegetable stock is that you won't have to fuss over separating the fat from the stock, because there is none!

I have two questions for readers:

• Have you ever used beet trimmings in your stock? I'm curious about the effect it has on the color of the stock -- does it turn raspberry color?
  
• Does a vegetable stock effectively harness nutrients, or does the stewing destroy them?