Veggie Stock

4.1.10
It was going to be a cold & rainy week and I had been saving some some random veggie stalks to make into veggie stock, so I started to throw some items into the pot.

1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, quartered
1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 bunch swiss chard stems, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch beet green stems, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch carrot tops, leafy parts only, torn into 1-inch pieces
2 fennel stalks, feathery parts only
1/3 c parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled and crushed
1/2 tsp celery seed
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
8 c water
2 tsp soy sauce or braggs
1 tsp salt

Drizzle olive oil into slowcooker. Add veggies & spices. Pour in water. Add soy sauce & salt. Cover & cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Let cool for a little while. I then used a sieve to squeeze the juices out of the cooked veggies. This didn't really get me a ton of extra liquid, but I bet it was some of the strongest and didn't really take me very long, so might as well try it. I left the carrot & onion chunks in the pot and used a stick blender to blend it all up. I ended up with over nine cups of broth. I had enough to make lentil soup for dinner the next night, cook up a giant pot of potato broccoli soup to share with my friends who just had a baby and freeze some for the next rainy week. And it was super yummy!