Why do this? Because I have some recipes that we’re very fond of that call for vegetable stock, and vegetable purée would add unwanted texture and/or color to them. I have found that when I have the stock on hand, I use it in other dishes as well; and it invariably improves the flavor of those dishes as well. The onions (I think I have forgotten the garlic the last few times I’ve made the stock—either that or I’ve used so little it can’t be tasted) and potatoes add an important “bass note” of flavor to the stock that helps tie the other vegetables together.

I do use a lot of fresh vegetables, and prefer them wherever possible. As I’m trying to do more vegetarian cooking too, it’s very handy to have a flavorful alternative to meat-based stocks. For someone always in a time crunch, the easy availability of this wonderful stock vastly outweighs the space it takes up in the freezer. (And now that I know I can can it safely, more of it will go to the basement instead of the freezer next summer.)

If you find your “veggie leather” recipe, please share it here. I thought about trying that this year, but forgot.