March means Mud, Longing for Spring, Vegetable stock recipe

It is that time of year when we feel like we are coming out of winter hibernation only to find out that if we actually were hibernating, we wouldn't have to pay the huge cost of keeping warm and we would probably be a lot thinner.  Our drafty old farmhouse doesn't ever get much warmer than 64 degrees in the winter so we wear long underwear, 2 pairs of socks, undershirts and over-shirts to stay warm in the house.  We are used to this and generally have very healthy winters, except that this year I got a cold that only lasted a week-- but it is only the 2nd one I have had in 4 years!  Feeling very naked now with only one layer of clothes on.......  Then it thaws and gravel roads are a quagmire only to be ventured onto by the very brave who have 4 wheel drive.  OK, enough griping.  Very counter-productive.  

Good news is that we just purchased a 'retirement gift' for me.  I am now the proud owner of a new troy-bilt electric start tiller.  My first one was bought in 1981 and cost around $800.  At that time, seemed very expensive, but I soon learned that it is worth its weight in gold.  So easy to handle AND the electric start means that I don't have to haul and yank on a rope starter that simply doesn't start for me.  A little extra for the electric start but not near the expense of shoulder surgery which I might need if I keep pulling on those. Now, of course the tiller costs about $1400 and I still need to order the hiller-furrower attachment.  Very excited.  Will make my gardens workload much lighter and do wonderful things for the soil. 

   As many of you know (and are bored silly but, hopefully, well-fed), I preach the gospel of making good stock for soups, etc.  (Making stock, we have noticed here in the country, heats the kitchen very nicely).  Now that I have a few vegetarians in the family, sometimes I use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and I have found a really great recipe.  (aside:  I like making beef stock also, but the price of beef bones is outrageous, so chicken works for me).  Very cheap to make since, if you follow the 'stock gospel of Jane as you cook', you have saved these vegetable scraps in your freezer for just such stock-making occasions. If you haven't done that yet, a milk carton or container of some sort suitable for freezing is ideal to save the scraps in.  You can use this stock in vegetarian casseroles, chili, rice, pasta, whatever.  If you are making a vegetable soup, I would add 2 cups to 1 quart of tomato juice, depending on how much soup you are making.  If you aren't going to use this fresh, it should be frozen or canned.  Here it is:

Vegetable Stock 

Makes 8 cups  (I can't imagine using all that energy to make only 8 cups--very easy to triple it and freeze or can.  You know, cook once--eat a number of times.  Will keep in refrigerator for a a couple of weeks) 

Perfect soup starts with an excellent homemade vegetable stock. You can use parts of vegetables you might otherwise send to the compost pile (such as peels and ends), which makes it easy on your pocketbook as well.

8 cups filtered water
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small leek, chopped (most of the green part included) and washed well
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 stems parsley
7 black peppercorns
Bay leaf

Optional:
1 cup fresh nettles, chopped spinach, turnip greens, kale, swiss chard

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large stock pot over high heat. When the water boils, turn down heat to lowest setting, and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Partially cover the pot and let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour so that bubbles just barely break the surface.

Strain the stock through a colander lined with several layers of cheesecloth or a few paper towels.