Vegetable Broth From Scratch

An onion halved; a carrot in pieces; a couple of stalks of celery...throw it in a stock pot with a pinch of salt and a bay leaf.  Cover with water by about 3 inches and boil for 45 minutes.  This is how you make a very simple broth that can be used as a base for soups and stews.

Want to add a bit of color?  Save the scraps of veggies, shelled shrimp, shucked oysters...put them in a 16-0z soup container or a gallon freezer bag and add the goodness of all the food you prepare to your soups.  Be sure to have the basics (onion, carrot and celery or mirepoix) and add your bag.  Be sure your liquid is about 3" above the top of the veggies and boil away, straining with a cheese cloth, tea towel, or even colander when it's cooled.

Some of my favorite to freeze: fennel, parsley stalks, cabbage leaves not pretty enough for salad...any tired vegetable that's a little too far to eat if you leave it until tomorrow.  Old apples and pears; ginger, garlic peel...you name it!