Optional add-ins: whole black peppercornskombu, leek, white or red potatoes, 1-4 tablespoon tomato paste
10-16quartswater
Instructions
Wash vegetables: Dump all veggies and herbs into a clean sink. Fill with water until vegetables are submerged and agitate well to remove dirt and debris. Pull apart the celery to remove dirt from between the stalks and shake the parsley in the water. You can also scrub the carrots and potato with a brush if desired.
Quickly cut up ingredients: Cut carrots and celery into thirds, chop onions and sweet potato in half, in quarters, and then in eighths. Crush unpeeled garlic with the flat side of knife just to activate enzymes.
Add all ingredients to a large stock pot - about 16 quarts or larger. Cover with water (I used 11 quarts of water, or 44 cups, plus an additional 4 cups when it evaporated a lot).
Bring to a boil and skim off any white foam that forms. (If you want.)
Reduce to a simmer and simmer over low heat for 2-4 hours. NOTE: I simmered for 2 hours, then I reduced my stove to the lowest setting and let it continue cooking overnight simply because of time constraints. I added 4 additional cups of water before bedtime to accommodate for this extra time.
Strain out the vegetables and either discard, compost, or blend to mix into soups, baked goods, sauces, or purees. (These vegetables are basically just fiber without additional micronutrients.)
Notes
To Cool: You can dilute the broth with some cold water or ice cubes. You can place the entire pot in a large sink or bathtub filled with ice water and stir the broth to cool. You can pour it into smaller containers, preferably with large surface areas such as casserole dishes. For food safety, it is not advised to leave broth between 40-110 degrees for more than 4 hours total. Once the internal temperature reaches about 90 degrees F or cooler, divide into storage containers and refrigerate or freeze.Organic ingredients are recommended when feasible as you will not be peeling the vegetables. If using conventional consider peeling the vegetables and discarding the scraps.