Every day we are bombarded with devastating news regarding the state of the world- Australia is burning, sea levels are rising, the Doomsday Clock is now set to 100 SECONDS from midnight. It feels like the end of the world as we know it (cue the R.E.M.), and it’s overwhelming and paralyzing to think about. In the midst of feeling absolutely helpless, there is also an undeniable sense of urgency to do better- to be better, to take action wherever, and however I can. But where to start?

My actions are small, but sustainable changes for my daily life. One of my biggest goals is to reduce the food waste in our house. As someone who cooks A LOT, I sometimes get overambitious in how many meals I’m going to cook, and then life happens, and I have a vegetable drawer half full of limp produce. It’s a sad state of affairs, and even though I am an avid composter, I still feel terrible throwing food away.

One of my solutions to this problem is to freeze my more undesirable vegetables and vegetable scraps to use at a later time. I already save all my chicken bones for broth, so why not my veggies too? My Instant Pot zero waste bone broth uses all those otherwise wasted food scraps to make delicious bone broth in a fraction of the time it would take to make on the stove. And the best part, is that you always have the ingredients on hand to make it.

Carrots, celery, alliums, and mushroom stems are the best scraps for saving and make the most flavorful broth. Just be sure to wash and dry everything before freezing so you don’t end up with any gritty bits floating around in that liquid gold. Take some chicken bones, some veggie scraps, a couple bay leaves, a handful of peppercorns, a splash of apple cider vinegar, and some water and pressure cook the shit out of everything for 2 hours, leaving you with a super rich and flavorful bone broth. You know, a broth full of that jiggly collagen and gelatin, and all the good stuff that people charge astronomical prices for at the grocery store, promising healing and fantastic hair and nails. You know the stuff.

I’m not promising any medical miracles, but I promise you that doing something to help protect our planet, no matter how small of an act, is better than doing nothing. And while one person alone can’t possibly change the world, I find hope in that there is strength in numbers, even if it’s just tackling the world’s problems one pot of bone broth at a time.

Instant Pot Zero Waste Bone Broth

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs frozen pre-washed vegetable scraps

1 C frozen pre-washed mushroom stems

2 1/2 lbs frozen chicken bones/scraps

2 dried bay leaves

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (*optional)

8-10 C water

*Note: This recipe is based on a 6 qt sized Instant Pot

In your Instant Pot, add vegetable scraps, mushroom stems, chicken bones, bay leaves, peppercorns, apple cider vinegar, and water. Secure the lid and make sure valve is set to sealing. Using the manual or pressure cook function, set timer to 2 hrs. When the time is up, quick release the pressure valve. You will know the broth is done when the bones break in your hand with very little effort. Strain broth through a fine mesh strainer into a large pot or bowl. Portion the bone broth into smaller freezable containers. Yields approximately 3 quarts of bone broth.