Baby, it's cold outside!

With the 'Polar Vortex' leaving most of the country in sub-freezing temps, I thought I'd share how I waste less in the kitchen and make better food because of it.

I love to cook and I strive to live a 'green' life. I really work hard to think of ways to waste less and give back to the earth more. I've become an avid gardener, supporter of local farms and sustainable agriculture, as well as an outspoken (ask my boss) champion for consuming 'moral' food. I strongly believe that we have the power to take back our food and change the marketplace- one plate at a time.

During my kitchen escapades I find myself throwing away a lot of produce. Prep a bunch of carrots, celery, onions and garlic for soup- and throw away all the peels and ends. Clean up some leeks- and toss the green stalks. It's an endless routine of tossing perfectly good produce (and money) into the trash. One day a light bulb went off- all these 'scraps' are exactly what you use to make a good stock!

I now keep one (or two) gallon size ziptop plastic bags in my freezer. As I go through my daily routine of prepping veggies, I save all the 'scraps' and toss them into the bag, then back into the freezer. Once the bags get full , I put them in a big pot, cover with water, add seasoning and any other wilting veggies I might have and boil away. Bring the pot to a boil, then simmer for about an hour, or until the liquid has reduced by at least a third. Then strain the mixture through a sieve (I normally do this twice- first with a regular pasta strainer to catch all the big stuff, then again through a small sieve to filter out any small particles) and into a container. 

Collect your scraps in a bowl as you cook, then transfer to the freezer when you're done!

You can also make chicken or beef stock by saving the leftover bones from chicken or bone-in cuts of beef you made. Buying a whole chicken is usually much cheaper than other cuts, and you end up with an entire pot of homemade stock at the end, which you can then use for soup. It's another way to maximize the dollars you spend on groceries! When making meat based stocks you will want to refrigerate the stock for a few hours, then take it out of the refrigerator. It should be the consistency of halfway done jello and have a layer of fat that has hardened on the top. You can go ahead and pull off the top layer and toss it (I like to leave just a little on there for flavor, then move on to storage (or use).

You can either freeze the stock or use it to make a soup. I normally freeze mine in gallon size ziptop plastic bags. Fill 3/4 of the way and seal tight, pushing out as much air as you can in the process, then lay flat in the freezer. Once frozen you can stand them up or lay them flat- this really helps take up less room in your freezer! Once in a while I will freeze my stock in ice cube trays or muffin tins. Fill almost to the top, let freeze, then pop out and stick in a ziptop plastic bag (don't forget to date the bag with a permanent marker to keep track!). When you only need a small amount of stock, you don't have to defrost an entire bag.

Trust me, homemade stock is easy to make and has nothing on store bought cans! This is a great way to save money, make less trash and make good food!