Rather than throwing away or composting unwanted parts of veggies, save them in a gallon bag and store in the freezer. When it's full, use it as a base for a hearty veggie broth that can be used right away, or frozen and saved for later.
So, what do you save? Everything! The spudding potato, the base of the celery bunch, the carrot greens, the few leaves of kale that aren't-so-fresh any more...just add and add to your freezer bag until you have 2-4 full bags!
What you'll need:
*There is no need to peel to trim any veggies, as you will be straining & discarding! These added ingredients are just a guideline--if you are missing an ingredient, just leave it out, or replace it with something else from the fridge that is looking like it would benefit from some TLC.**
2-4 gallon bags of unloved vegetables
2-4 carrots, sliced
1-2 onions, quartered
1-2 potatoes, quartered
2-4 celery stalks
3-4 cloves garlic, smashed
handful fresh parsley
2-4 Tbsp. Tamari
salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Fill with 6-8 cups water, just enough to leave the veggies peaking out about 2-4 inches at the top of the pot.
Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 1 hour or so.
Cool. To strain the broth from the veggies, place another large, empty stock pot in the sink. Place a pasta strainer on top, and slowly pour the stock into the strainer. Press the veggies down and literally squeeze to ensure you get out all the goodness.
You can store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or measure and store in the freezer. I recommend measuring into (2) and (4) cup portions into quart size freezer baggies to easily grab and add to recipes later!
Amount of broth will vary based on the amount of unloved veggies you are working with!