Tasty homemade vegetable broth

Thanksgiving week is a week when so many of us prepare dishes handed down through generations. It is a week where we share fresh foods, prepared with much love and attention. No junk food in sight!

I thought this would be a perfect time, when you might have a carrot or onion left in the refrigerator, to share a recipe for Homemade Vegetable Broth. This broth is filled with flavor, unlike any broth with preservatives, and can be used to make soup or a sauce for stir-fry, pot roast, or add to your rice, instead of water.

Homemade Vegetable Broth

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

>> 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

>> 1 large onion

>> 3 carrots

>> 6 white button mushrooms or small white oyster mushrooms

>> 2 cups of fresh spinach

>> 3 bay leaves

>> A handful of fresh parsley, chopped

>> 1 tsp dried thyme

>> 1 tsp black peppercorns

>> 1 tsp of sea salt

>> 8 cups of cold water

Instructions

Cut 1 large onion in half, remove outer layers, then cut each half into 1-inch pieces. Cut 3 carrots and the 3 stalks of celery into 1-inch pieces. Cut the 6 button mushrooms in half.

In a large stock pot, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the cut vegetables and spinach. Add the dried thyme and parsley, the 3 bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns and the 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Heat vegetables on a medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes until the onions are translucent. Stir frequently.

Add 8 cups of cold water and bring the vegetables and herbs to boil. Place a lid on the pot and lower the heat to a low-medium simmer. After 30 to 35 minutes, the broth should be ready to remove from the heat. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then drain broth and vegetables through a fine sieve or cheesecloth. The broth can be safely stored in the refrigerator for seven days or freeze for future use. I like to freeze it in ice cube trays and place the cubes in plastic bags. This way I have the option of using all of it for a pot of soap, or just a cube or two to thicken a sauce in a quick stir fry.

Please note, the Farmers Market at McAllen’s Firemen’s Park is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday week. Thanks to all our customers for supporting locally grown foods.

The market will reopen from 9 a.m. to noon next Saturday, Dec. 7, at 201 N. 1st St. in McAllen, when we will be hosting an additional group of vendors for a special Christmas market.

Barbara Storz is a horticulturist writing about plants that grow well in the Rio Grande Valley. You can find her at the Farmers Market at Firemen’s Park, or on Facebook.

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