Vegetable Broth
Summary
Homemade vegetable broth
INGREDIENTS
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3 pounds vegetable scraps
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12 cups water
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1-2 bay leaves
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1 tsp whole black peppercorns
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1 1/2 tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add veggies, water, peppercorns, and bay leaves to your 6 qt slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours (or on high 4-5 hours), until the broth is golden and the veggies are very tender.
- Remove the lid from the slow cooker and let the broth cool for a bit.
- Use a wooden spoon to gently press on the veggies in the slow cooker to release a little more flavor.
- Grab a large bowl and set a colander over the top. Make sure you’re near your kitchen sink! Now carefully pour the mixture into the colander and discard the cooked veggies. Set a fine-mesh sieve over another bowl (or rinse your slow cooker out to use that). Pour the broth over the sieve to strain out the last bit of sediment.
- Add salt if desired.
- Keeps refrigerated in an airtight container for about 5 days, or you can freeze it for later use. Freezer bags are the easiest. To thaw, pull it out of the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw 12-24 hours ahead of time.
NOTES
We frequently include chicken/turkey bones in our broth as well. It's not vegetarian anymore, but that's ok.
If you’d like to make a smaller batch in a smaller slow cooker, I suggest allowing for about 2 quarts of room per 1 pound of vegetables/4 cups of water.