When it comes to veggie stock, are you team homemade or team store bought? I get it, there are pros and cons to both. With store bought veggie stock, convenience is a huge factor but many tend to be high in sodium. There’s a lot more leg work with homemade veggie stock, but you can control the sodium.

Like the stubborn rebel that I tend to be, I choose not to pick a side. If I’m in a rush, I’ll pop a can of the store bought stuff. Every once in a while, when I’m in a Susie Homemaker mood, I like to whip up a batch from scratch. Here’s the catch...I don’t go out of my way to buy ingredients for the sole purpose of making vegetable stock. Hence, the name ‘Zero-waste Veggie Stock’!

It can’t get simpler than this: Save your vegetable scraps in a freezer bag. Any time you peel a potato, cut the tops off a carrot or pull the paper off garlic & onions, throw it in the bag. When the bag is full and you have a little time at home one day, pull them out to make your stock.

Notes & Equipment Needed:

Pizza Stone, Cast Iron Skillet or baking sheet (you can preheat the pizza stone & cast iron. Don’t preheat your baking sheet)
A large stock pot, a Crock Pot or a pressure cooker (I never had a pressure cooker until very recently, so my preferred method used to be my slow cooker because I had to check on it less than a large pot on my stove.)
Fine mesh strainer, nut milk bag or a cheesecloth & twine (If you don’t have any of these, you can fish out your veggies with a slotted spoon or ladle, but it’s a pain. Work smarter, not harder. Grab a nut milk bag or cheesecloth.)

Ingredients:

Veggie Scraps (mushroom stems, celery base, extra herbs from your garden, the tougher parts of leeks, corn cores, etc.)
Thyme (or poultry seasoning)
Peppercorn (or ground pepper)
Miso Paste
Water

Instructions:

Preheat your oven at 345 degrees.
Place vegetable scraps in a large mixing bowl.
Coat the scraps with miso paste & place on a well greased pizza stone, cast iron skillet or cookie sheet.
Bake your miso coated veggies until it starts to brown.
Place your toasted veggies in your nut milk bag or wrap in cheesecloth.
Place in your pressure cooker, Crock Pot or large pot, and fill with water.
- If using a pressure cooker: Set to cook for about 40 minutes.
- If using Crock Pot: Set on low for 60 - 90 minutes.
- If using pot & stovetop: Cook for 60 - 60 minutes on low.
Fish out your veggies & let cool.
Store in your fridge if using soon. I like to freeze in ice cube trays & store in a freezer bag to use as needed.