Easy Vegetable Stock

ratherbeswimmin''s Note:

From Martha Rose Shulman. For the vegetable trimmings, if you don't have all of them, that is fine. Just use what you have. Chard can be stalks or leaves.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 7 cups

• 1 onion , quartered
• 1 carrot , peeled and thickly sliced
• 1 celery , sliced
• 4 -8 garlic cloves , crushed and peeled
• 1 leek , cleaned and sliced
• 2 teaspoons salt , to taste

Vegetable trimmings

• sliced chard leaves , stalks
• sliced parsley stems
• cleaned and sliced leek greens
• mushroom , stems
• scallion , stalks (green part)

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients along with 8 cups water to a large pot; bring to a boil.
2. Decrease heat, cover partially, and simmer gently for 30 minutes or longer.
3. Strain through a fine strainer; use right away or refrigerate or freeze.