Homemade Vegetable Broth

I've made lots of chicken and beef broth, but this was my first attempt at vegetable broth. It was super simple and, it's quite tasty too!
I used an acorn squash, a leek, carrots, celery, parsnips, garlic cloves, an onion, whole peppercorns, salt, dried thyme, oregano, basil, cilantro, parsley and bay leaves.  (I did not use potatoes or corn. Starchy vegetables can make your broth cloudy.)

I washed all my vegetables but peeling isn't necessary. I cut them into chunks, placed them in my crock pot along with the seasonings and then filled the crockpot with water.

Next, turn the crockpot on on low and let the vegetables cook for 10 to 12 hours. I cooked mine overnight. Next, you'll need to strain the delicious broth. I strained mine into a large pitcher and then let it cool in the refrigerator. 

Once the vegetable broth had cooled, I poured it into jars (be sure to leave headspace to allow for expansion. The jars are labeled with a fill line). I also poured some into an ice cube tray (frozen broth cubes are very handy to have around). I immediately put the cubes in the freezer. I put the jars in the fridge overnight, then put them in the freezer. Cool jars are less likely to crack in the freezer. 

Now, I'm on the lookout for some tasty recipes using vegetable broth!