This is an easy way to make vegetable bouillon from fresh vegetables you get from your garden or farmers market.
I am so into my dehydrator these days. Ever since I learned how to make tomato powder by dehydrating fresh garden tomatoes and then grinding them into a powder, I’ve been hooked. Now I’ve tackled homemade vegetable bouillon. This ties into another project I’ve been dying to try…diy savory tea bags like those delicious Numi teas (affiliate link) I like so much.
I came across this recipe from Tales of a Kitchen and thought I’d make it my own. Basically you take 2 carrots, 2 ribs of celery, 1 onion, a few pieces of purple cabbage, a bunch of parsley and a few mushrooms and you dehydrate them till they are brittle. Then you whiz them in a high speed blender, food processor or coffee grinder if you have one. Mine of course has too much coffee residue so I just used my Vitamix. Then you add a few more seasonings like salt, turmeric, cayenne, black pepper, granulated garlic and nutmeg and your bouillon is complete. I could have done the garlic in the dehydrator but I didn’t want the whole house to smell like garlic since my MIL hates that smell. I think next time I’d like to add ginger too.
Here’s what they looked like dried. It’s a little disheartening seeing all those veggies getting ground down to a powder. But it did make a lot of bouillon. I filled a 4oz jelly jar and an addition half of a baggie with the powder.
Lastly I’ve read a few recipes that recommend that you freeze your goodies for a few days or a week to kill any bugs that might have been on your produce. I can’t imagine they would survive a good washing and the dehydrator but just to be safe I’m freezing mine for a few days.
Make Your Own Vegetable Bouillon
So now the big question: Why would anyone want to do this? This is what my hubby asked me. He’s inthralled with the dehydrator too and loves when I use veggies from our garden. I did it because there are times when my stomach does not feel well and I’m hungry but afraid to eat food because I know it’s best to let my stomach rest. Or there are times when I just want to eat something between meals and I don’t feel like drinking anything sweet. I want something savory to sip on. On both of these occasions I think it would be perfect to have a cup of bone broth with a teaspoon of this delicious homemade veggie broth. I think it will be healthy and satisfying and tasty.
Also I think it will be great in the winter time when it’s cold and I want something to warm me up. And what about dieting? How great would it be to sip on an extremely low calorie, healthy, delicious broth! Those are the reasons I wanted to do this. My hubby still doesn’t get it but I do and that’s all that counts. 😉
Recipe: Vegetable Bouillon (from your garden harvest)
Ingredients
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 onion
- 2 to matoes
- handful parsley
- purple cabbage leaves
- 4 or 5 mushrooms
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
Instructions
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Slice all veggies very thin. I used a mandolin.
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Place on 5 or 6 racks of your dehydrator.
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Set dehydrator to 135 degrees for 6 to 8 hours.
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Check your veggies as different ones will dry faster than others. The tomatoes and onions took the longest for me.
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Take out veggies as they seem dry and brittle. You don't want them to be soft and chewy looking.
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Once they are all done, grind in a high speed blender, food processor or coffee grinder.
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Store in the freezer for a few days as a safety precaution.
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Should be shelf stable or keep refrigerated if you prefer.
Michaela (AYearFromNear)
Wow! This is awesome and I can’t wait to try it with the veggies I can get from the farmer’s market. I’m starting challenge to eat a locally sourced diet for a year and looking for great resources. I can’t wait to add this to my pantry!
Melesa Anne
How do you use it? tsp. to a cup of water???
Denise
Hi Melissa,
I found I used it more as a seasoning than as bouillon. It doesn’t dissolve all that well but it it’s still good.
I would say maybe 1 Tablespoon to a cup of water would be best. Thanks for stopping by.
Debbie
What a great idea! And this would make a great little Christmas gift in a jar with a little bow!
I need to try this!
….now where did I put my dehydrator??…