Out in the Alaska bush, every scrap of vegetable is vital. …Come to think, of it, wherever you live, it makes sense to make the most out of vegetables – whether you grow them yourself, or purchase them at the market.
It’s been a week. Not good. Our boxes of produce from Fred Meyer in Anchorage shipped via U.S. mail on Monday. That’s Monday of last week. Usually these shipments arrive to us in about two days. Alas…
Even though we order hardy vegetables such as carrots, Brussels sprouts, onions and cabbage, there’s not likely to be much left of them by the time they arrive to our home in Chignik Lake, a village that defines “remote” out here on the Alaska Peninsula. Right smack in the middle of this Coronavirus epidemic… what a poor time for this president to “reorganize” the United States Postal Service. But, I digress. At Cutterlight we strive to keep things positive. (Interested readers can Google “mail delays.”)
The idea is not ours, but the moment we came across the concept of keeping an airtight container in the freezer in which to store the various cuttings, peelings and scraps from vegetable preparation, we knew we’d found a winner. Our container holds about 10 cups – perfect for turning out batches of vegetable broth on a regular basis. Onion ends, carrot peels, squash trimmings, one-use bay leaves, kale stems, cabbage cores and more – just about anything goes into the container.
When the container is full, the scraps go into a pot and are covered with water. I avoid outright boiling of soups. A very gentle simmer or near simmer for about 30 minutes is sufficient to bring out the flavors. I don’t salt or season the broth at this stage either. I’ll do that when I know what I’m going to use it for. When the 30 minutes are up, I pour the broth through a strainer to remove the vegetables. And that’s it. The result is an excellent base liquid for anything from chicken soup to vegetable soup. In a recent iteration, I added a variety of fresh, summertime vegetables and chunks of local halibut to the broth and served it on rice for a hearty Manhattan-style chowder. The broth is good stuff, and with no salt or seasoning added, it’s the perfect blank slate for your own creations.
CutterLight 
Aaah, but I believe the Service still functions in Florida ‘eh?😉
The president’s scheme seems to be to allow his cronies to privatize the postal service – which will mean higher prices for everyone. But, yes, this attack on the Post Office impacts us to a greater extent in rural areas.
Oh my. That’s terrible. I’m going to start worrying about you and your remoteness. Very smart to cook this way, however. More people should do it!
It’s a reminder that we’re not as insulated from some of what’s going on nationally than we sometimes would like to be. But, yes, we enjoy the challenge of getting the most out of every food item we gather or purchase.
So sorry about the mail problems, many people are experiencing this. It’s a perfect idea to save those scraps for stock. I’ve been doing this for years, and it is really wonderful to be able to have that homemade stock when I want it in my own freezer. After making the stock, the residue goes happily to the compost bin where it will get new life in the garden. Happy cooking!
It’s a pretty cool way to keep stock on hand, isn’t it? Thanks for the comment and for reading!
You’re welcome!