Related Recipe: Nourishing Broth
Winter is a wonderful cooking season, and with meal prep comes scraps. Before tossing vegetable ends into the trash, compactor, or compost bin, remember that there’s a lovely and nourishing way to use them. Consider saving them for homemade vegetable or bone broth—simple and so good, penetrating your home and heart with mouthwatering aroma. Homemade broth is loaded with glucosamine, vitamins, minerals, and even omegas; it’s actually heart and soul warming.
Every time you prep a meal, save those veggie scraps and meat bones in a container in the freezer. This includes onion, celery, root vegetables—even apples or other fruit. The sky really is the limit here. Once your freezer container is full, voilà! You’re just a day away from a fresh batch of broth.
The slow cooker is my tool of choice, but a stove pot works too. Pour in the frozen goodies, cover with water, and add in some satiating herbs. And don’t forget the apple cider vinegar, an essential ingredient that breaks down collagen and nutrients in bones, making it something our bodies can use.
Bone broth should be cooked at least 24 hours to fully break down nutrients in the bones. For a batch of vegetable broth, only a handful of hours is necessary. Once the lid locks down, leave it on until finished. Your home will fill with the decadent aroma of the broth, inflating your senses and providing warmth and connection to the process. Connection to food is connection to heart, home, and health. When meals are filled with love and preparation is ritual, the finished product reflects back to us tenfold, holistically nourishing body and soul—especially when shared with loved ones.
