DON'T THROW OUT THOSE SCRAPS!!!! Homemade broth: do it; it's easy and worth it, every time. Making a broth bag is one of my FAVORITE ways to reduce food waste. Did I mention, it's so simple! I use a gallon ziplock, I drop whatever food scraps I have in this bag and then put it in the freezer. Of course, if you have the space for a glass snap lid tupperware, that would be even better.
This works great for making a vegetable broth OR for making a delicious bone broth. Once I collect the whole gallon bag, I pour it into a pot, cover the scraps with filtered water, a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. If I am making a simple broth, simmer for as little as 30 minutes , but for a good concentrated vegetable or bone broth, I will slow cook for as long as 2 days. Once you have the broth to the concentration you want, strain off the vegetables (and bones), and pour off the liquid. Use it right away or refrigerate or freeze in usable portions. I find that about 2 cups is perfect.
These scraps work great:
onion skins and tips
garlic skins and tips
carrot tops
herb stems
zucchini and squash ends
mushroom stems
ginger & turmeric ends
Bones: any bones: raw or cooked
skins from root vegetables (these can work good, but they need to be super clean so they don’t add grit to your broth.
These aren't as awesome in the broth:
pepper rinds & seeds can make it spicy or bitter
brassicas make it bitter (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc)
skins from root vegetables (these can work good, but they need to be super clean so they don’t add grit to your broth.