Food Waste Friday: Make Your Own Soup Stock
by Jamie Simpher, KC Can Compost Volunteer
You already know that composting is a great, eco-friendly way to dispose of your kitchen scraps—but if you’re putting them straight into your orange bucket, you’re missing out on the tasty opportunity to make your own soup stock!
It’s easy, makes your entire kitchen smell delicious, saves you money, and reduces your food waste. A win-win-win-win! Here’s how:
STEP ONE:
Collect your scraps
Keep a gallon-size bag (bonus points if you get a reusable one!) of food scraps in your freezer.
This can include:
Potato peels
Parmesan rinds
Carrot tops
Egg shells (these can give the broth a cloudy appearance but add lots of calcium and minerals)
Garlic and onion skins
Artichoke leaves (given the way artichokes are often eaten, they may have been in your mouth. You’ll boil them, so germs aren’t an issue, but for “ick” reasons, you may prefer not to use these if you plan to serve the stock to guests)
Dried out herbs
Lemon peels (bonus points if you zest the lemons to make your own dried lemon zest before putting the peels in your stock bag)
Mushroom stumps
Ends of zucchinis and carrots
Cores of tomatoes and peppers
Chicken carcass
Beef bones
Shrimp shells (though if you’re up for a cooking challenge, these could be put to better use by making your own shrimp bisque!)
Scraps to avoid:
If your potatoes have sprouted, you can cut out the sprouts and still use the potato, but those sprouts are toxic, so you don’t want to eat those
Anything in the Brassica family (such as broccoli or kale) can make it smell funky and should be avoided
Anything moldy or rancid—you don’t want to eat that!
STEP TWO:
Season your stock
When your bag is full, empty it into a large stockpot and add any seasoning you might want. Some good seasoning ideas include:
Bay leaves
Peppercorns
Kombu
STEP THREE:
Boil and simmer
Add water—you definitely want at least enough to make sure all your scraps and seasonings can be submerged (though they might float). Once your pot is boiling, reduce to a low simmer. Taste your stock frequently over the course of the next hour. The time it takes may vary depending on what scraps you have.
STEP FOUR:
Strain
Pour your stock through a cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer to remove the scraps while keeping the flavor.
Taste your product and add any additional seasoning while it’s still hot. Some good seasoning to include at this stage might include:
Salt (at least a little bit is recommended, as it can help bring out other flavors)
Lemon (if your stock is a little on the bitter side, acid can help alleviate that)
STEP FIVE:
Bottle and date
Once your stock is cooled, pour it into a bottle, label it with a date, and store in the refrigerator. It’s best to use fresh stock within a week.
STEP SIX:
Compost the scraps
Now that you’ve extracted every last bit of taste and nutrients from your food scraps, pull out your orange bucket and dump those scraps. As a bonus, now that you’ve boiled them, they’ll take up less space in your bucket!
