Help with Vegetable stock concentrate

[Judydg]

Hi, I am a new TM owner and basically tried to do too much this afternoon before school pickup - lemon cake, brownies, stock! So in rushing I forgot to put the onion in the stock - do you think it will matter?

[Frozzie]

no dont think so as most people just use up whatever vegies are in their fridge so dont think any particular vegetable is 'necessary'..its the mix of vegies and salt that give it the flavour...you should experiement and add vegies you like to the stock..the colour will change depending on what you put in it!  Just have fun!

[Twitterpated]

Whenever I make vegetable stock, it's whatever that's in the fridge that's fair game. After the first time I don't tend to stick to the recipe but just throw in whatever I've got (within reason of course).

[judydawn]

We are always worried leaving something out will mess with a recipe Judy but as the girls have said, anything goes with the veg stock concentrate.  You will usually have onions in whatever you are cooking anyway so rest easy, it's all good.

[cecilia]

The only thing I would hate to leave out of veg stock concentrate is the celery.  I think that adds a lot of depth to the flavour.

[thermoheaven]

i tend to use only vegetables which are aromatic, so the zuchinni in the edc recipe didn't do it for me. i do love using up all the herbs in the garden - nice strong aromas and flavour.

[andiesenji]

The only thing I would hate to leave out of veg stock concentrate is the celery.  I think that adds a lot of depth to the flavour.

If you have a garden with room for it, or room for a good-sized plant pot, I would suggest growing some lovage to use for flavoring when you don't have celery on hand.
Unlike celery, lovage is a perennial which comes back, year after year and is very versatile.

All about lovage in Victoria.

It is wonderful in soups, stews and the seeds and little flowers are also very flavorful.

More about lovage.

While it can be started from seed, I recommend you look for a nursery that carries a lot of herb plants and see if they have it. 
With the proper soil and a moderate amount of water, you will have a vigorous plant that can go for years.  Here it dies back to the ground after a good freeze but comes back each spring. 

[thermoheaven]

thanks for the info on lovage, andie. i'll tru to remember to look out for some next time i go to the nursery.

[Very Happy Jan]

Thanks Andie. I've never heard of Lovage before and I wonder if we can get it in Oz. I am the only one in my family that likes celery so very rarely buy it as I don't seem to be able to use all of it before it goes sad and limp

[andiesenji]

Thanks Andie. I've never heard of Lovage before and I wonder if we can get it in Oz. I am the only one in my family that likes celery so very rarely buy it as I don't seem to be able to use all of it before it goes sad and limp

Shipards Herb Farm
lists lovage in their plants. 
You can download their catalog and get their email address [urlhttp://herbs-to-use.com/herbs-for-sale.html]here[/url].

I didn't do a full search for mail-order nurseries in your area.  I have that link because a friend used them to get some rare medicinal herbs a while back.

[achookwoman]

Andi, thanks for the links.  With plenty of garden space I will certainly hunt out a Lovage plant.