Vegetable stock

 Vegetable stock can be used for all different types of soups and stews

The simplest way to always have fresh delicious and inexpensive vegetable stock on hand is to keep all your peelings when you prepare vegetables for each meal.  I keep zip-loc bags in the freezer and fill them with the trimmings almost every day.  Before too many weeks go by, there's usually enough to boil up a batch of stock, which can either be used right away or can be stored back in the freezer for later.

If my bag of peelings doesn't have any carrots or onions, I will add a couple to the mix, plus some cloves of garlic, a couple of bay leaves, plus a couple of teaspoons of peppercorns.  Cover with water in a large stock pot and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for at least half an hour, adding more water as needed.  Strain the liquid into a large bowl and compost the solids!