There is a part of me that knows this is slightly ridiculous.

You can walk into any grocery store and buy a carton of vegetable stock for five dollars. No freezer bag of scraps. No simmering pot on the stove. No extra step at the end of a long day when the laundry still isn’t folded and there are toys scattered across the living room floor.

And yet—here we are.

Making my own vegetable stock started as a practical habit: a way to reduce waste around the house and be more thoughtful with what we already have. Onion skins, carrot ends, celery tops, garlic peels—things that used to go straight into the trash now get tucked into a bag in the freezer, waiting for their second life. It feels good to know that what once felt disposable still has value.

But if I’m being honest, this isn’t really about the stock.

It’s about those small, grounding habits that make you feel capable when everything else feels unfinished. On days when I’m overwhelmed, when the house feels loud and the to-do list is longer than my patience, making stock is something I can complete. It’s slow. It’s simple. It asks very little of me—just time, water, and scraps I already have.

The pot simmers quietly on the stove while life continues around it. Nothing dramatic happens. And yet, at the end, there’s something nourishing and useful that didn’t exist before. That small sense of accomplishment fills my cup in a way that feels gentle and sustaining.

So yes, you could absolutely buy this at the store. But there’s something deeply comforting about turning leftovers into something intentional, especially in seasons where so much feels undone. This is one of those little things that reminds me I’m doing enough—even when it doesn’t look like it.

Simple Homemade Vegetable Stock

What to Save (and Freeze):
Keep a gallon-sized freezer bag and add scraps as you cook:

• Onion skins and ends
• Carrot peels and tops
• Celery leaves and ends
• Garlic skins and cloves
• Fresh herb stems (parsley, thyme, rosemary)

Ingredients:

• About 6 cups frozen vegetable scraps (no need to be exact – I have found one full gallon freezer bag is perfect)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1–2 bay leaves
• 10ish cups cold water
• 2 tsp whole peppercorns
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Place all the scraps to a large stock pot.
2. Add the olive oil and lightly sauté to enhance the flavor
3. Add water, peppercorn, and bay leaves to pot and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a low simmer.
4. Simmer uncovered for 45–60 minutes.
5. Strain out solids and discard scraps.
6. Let cool, then store in jars or freezer-safe containers (I use these 1 cup Souper Cubes that make freezing the stock easy and even easier to use while cooking).

In a season where so much of life feels unfinished, this is one small thing I can tend to from beginning to end. The house doesn’t have to be perfect. The list doesn’t have to be done. But the scraps were saved, the pot was stirred, and something nourishing came out of it. Making vegetable stock won’t change everything—but it reminds me that care can be quiet, slow, and imperfect, and still deeply worthwhile. And sometimes, that’s exactly the kind of accomplishment a home really needs.