I love rich, hearty soups! One key to truly great soup is homemade vegetable broth – a great project for a snowy day when you're stuck inside.

Here's what you do: Gather the ends and peels from your vegetables (you can do this for a week or two prior to making broth and store them in the fridge or freezer). Veggie options include onion ends and skins plus a whole onion, quartered; potato peels; celery and carrot tops; kale, chard or collard stems, etc. Basically any part of the veggie you don't typically eat. Fill a large pot as full as possible with these veggies and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for about 6-8 hours (I like to start mine in the morning and turn it off in the late afternoon). Strain and use right away or transfer to freezer-safe containers like muffin tins and loaf pans and freeze. It's a perfect way to make flavorful and good-for-you veggie broth using food that would normally go in the compost or (gasp!) the trash. It's like vegetable recycling!