Take and make stock of scraps

If only you could find a use for all those vegetable scraps. 

Food is so expensive. We compare prices and buy the item that costs 50 cents less and yet ... 12.2% of New Zealand household food is wasted. Apparently this adds up to $1510 per household in a year — now that is quite a lot of food you thought you could not afford.

My partner won’t eat cauliflower or broccoli stalks, I have no idea why, I think they’re delicious. Each to their own I suppose, but if you could make these rejected vegetable bits edible it would be a massive saving ($1510 per year). I have found a way, and the fussy eaters won’t even know they are eating their rejects.

Collect all your vegetable scraps, stalks and stumps for a week and store them in a bag or container in the fridge. Here are some vegetables that can be used: cauliflower, broccoli, pak choi, asparagus, silverbeet, mushroom and spinach stalks. The tops of turnips, radishes, spring onions, and celery (celery is especially good I think). Also use discarded pieces of carrot, turnip, parsnip, fennel, green beans, zucchini, peppers, onions (not the brown papery layer, but the outer bit that often gets discarded) and leeks.

Chop the root vegetables and stalky bits and pieces finely so they dry faster. The leafy bits should maybe be lumped together as they will dry faster and could be removed a little sooner. For added flavour add some extra garlic and onion and some herbs, such as cilantro, thyme, sage and parsley.

Layer all these vegetable pieces on to the trays of a dehydrator (this is what I use, but it is possible to dry them on trays in a slow oven at 60-65°C (you want them to dry not roast). Running the dehydrator overnight to take advantage of cheaper night electricity rates is a good strategy.

When crispy dry, grind the vegetables into a powder. I use my trusty coffee and spice grinder, but a good quality blender will maybe work. When you have a bowl of green powder, add salt if you wish. I also add garlic and onion powder to increase the intensity of the flavour, but this is not essential.

You have now become the proud creator of your own bespoke vegetable-stock powder. Store the stock in a lidded jar in the cupboard. It will last for several years.

It is possible to make versions of this stock for different purposes. For example, one made with fennel, onion, leek, garlic, celery and asparagus would go nicely with fish.

If you don’t mind a brownish coloured stock use the tops of beetroot, as these are so nutrient dense, yet usually get tossed out.

To use, add a spoonful to a soup, or to any other dish that requires stock or a burst of flavour. The concentrated nutrients in this stock are a huge bonus.

I probably need to say, don’t use anything rotten or mouldy.

Back to those broccoli and cauliflower stalks — just peel off the outer layer and slice them finely. Even the picky eaters in your house will eat them if you hide them in a soup, stew or stir fry. Hiding disliked food in plain sight is one of the skills that parents learn to excel at, and this vegetable stock is a masterclass in food disguise.