On vegetable broth...

I keep a gallon zippie bag in my freezer. Every time I peel a vegetable (except potatoes) snap a pea or bean or cut the end off a tomato or squash I toss these normally discarded bits into the bag. When it's full I plop the frozen veggies into what I think of as my pretty big pan. I then fill it with water, bring it to a boil and let it go for anywhere for 1/2 an hour to an hour depending on how distracted I am whilst making it. After I notice it again I strain the vegetable broth into one of my gallon pitchers. I return all the cooked once veggies back to the pot, fill with water and repeat. I do let this second brew cook slightly longer because it kinda seems like you should have to. (Although I've never scientifically tested this.) I strain this batch into the second of my gallon pitchers (You could use large bowls if you don't happen to own gallon pitchers or both of them are filled with Kool Aid or iced tea.) Toss the veggies, (if you have one, put it on the compost pile) wash the pan out, combine both (approximate) gallons of veggie broth and allow to cool.

Once the broth is cool enough to handle, I place 1 and 2 cup amounts in quart size zippie bags, (Label them before you start) place the bags flat in the freezer and let them freeze solid. I also fill standard muffin cups with 1/3 cup of the broth freeze these solid then pop them into a gallon baggie for when I just need a wee bit of broth.

Some things that I've put in the bag-Asparagus ends, bean and pea snap offs, celery tops, carrot peels and trims, mushroom stems, tomato tops, zucchini and yellow squash trimmings, onion peels and tops, garlic peels, lemon peels (from when you've juiced a lemon, but I wouldn't go overboard) trimmings from broccoli and cauliflower (again not too many) cabbage cores, I've even used lettuce leaves.

Basically any non starchy and not too 'strong veggie'

What I would avoid-Potato peels or trimmings, beets (too staining) brussels sprouts, corn cobs, excessive amounts of any strong smelling or tasting veggie like fennel or raab.

I do know of people who will toss their leftover dinner veggies and the juice from canned veggies. I tend to avoid this as I like butter on vegetables and I really don't eat a lot of canned veggies.

"What's the point?" you may ask. Several things. I use a lot of broth in my cooking. A can of vegetable broth costs about 79 cents. For the cost of the zippie bags, 2 gallons(ish) of water, enough gas to boil it up and a bit of time, I can get the equivalent of 16 cans of vegetable broth. (If you do the math that's about $1.25 instead of $12.64) It's also a delicious, high quality broth with no added salt.

I can control portion size more easily than canned broth. A can of vegetable broth is about 15 oz (close to 2 cups) I don't always need 2 cups of broth and I often waste the remainder of the can. I have good intentions but the can sits in the fridge until it ferments or spills on the eggs, sometimes both.

I also like the idea of further using something that would normally just get pitched. Back in the days when I had more time I did pitch the spent veggies onto the compost heap. In turn the compost went into my pathetic garden which provided me with at least a few new veggie peels and trims to put in the zippie bag. That's a cycle I can get behind.

Oh, and I have a freezer to store the equivalent of 16 cans of vegetable broth, so it's also practical for me.

For me making my own broth makes sense. It's a money saver. For me it's also a time saver because I am forever forgetting to buy it and then having to run back to the store for it. Finally it's my little stand against the throw away society we live in. Reduce, reuse, recycle and eat well.