Bouillon, Baby

I recently came across one of those "aha" moments, when I discovered a perfectly simple idea that fills a need. It is the easiest way in the world to make your own bouillon. I've been going through Knorr vegetarian bouillon cubes like crazy, since I cook greens many nights a week. Bouillon cubes surely fall into the category of non-food items, plus I'm paying money for mostly sodium.

So anyway, I read about this simple recipe for making your own:

Get a gallon size zip lock bag. Whenever you're preparing food, throw scraps such as veggie peels, carrot ends, onion scraps, wilted greens, stems, and veggie tops into a bowl. (Don't use bitter greens such as those found on celery, carrots, etc., and throw your really nasty stuff straight into your compost bin.) When your food prep is finished, throw the contents of your scrap bowl in the zip lock bag, and stash it in your freezer. After 5-7 days you'll likely have a full bag. Dump it in a pot of boiling water and simmer the goodies for an hour--it will boil down to about half. Strain off the solids, and voilá! You have enough bouillon to last until your zip lock bag fills up again. What could be easier? And the flavor will vary a bit each time.

(I'm really sorry to say that I can't remember who I should credit with this great idea.)