Step 1

Wash the veggies well. I like to soak them in a water bath for a few minutes to wash away any residue (especially when using organic produce, which can have residue soil/sand).

Step 2

Scrub the veggies lightly and then dry them with a kitchen towel.

Step 3

Finely chop all of the vegetables into small cubes; the smaller, the better, as they’ll cook faster and be easier to puree. You could also use a food chopper/processor to help process the vegetables into small pieces.Make sure to transfer the chopped potatoes to a bowl of water while you do the rest of the ingredients. This will keep them from discoloring and get rid of excess starch.At the same time, finely chop the garlic and parsley.

Step 4

In a large skillet, add the oil and heat it over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and lightly saute for a couple of minutes. Then add the potatoes and cook for several minutes to begin softening (4-5 minutes).

Step 5

Add the remainder of the ingredients (except the parsley), stir well, and then allow to simmer, covered, to cook until softened - this will take around 20 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally.

Step 6

Next, add the salt and stir well. This will encourage all the excess liquid to release from the veggies. Cook for a further 15-20 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Step 7

Using an immersion blender, you can blend the vegetable bouillon directly into the pan. Alternatively, allow it to cool slightly and use a food processor to blend it into a puree.

Step 8

Once blended, add the parsley and stir to combine. Next, it’s time to decide how you want to store the homemade bouillon - make frozen cubes, dehydrate into powder, or do both with parts of the puree. You can also keep some fresh, stored in the refrigerator for a week.

Step 9

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and transfer the stock to the tray, leveling it out with a spatula.

Step 10

Transfer to the freezer to freeze for several hours until hardened (due to the salt content, they won’t freeze completely solid). Then use a sharp knife to cut into cubes and transfer to a freezer-safe container to store.If you want the cubes to be the same size, I recommend using a square baking dish and measuring when scoring the lines. I’m not too ‘perfection-y’ about this, so then I have smaller and larger pieces to choose from.I recommend placing them in a container with space in-between each cube, layered up with pieces of parchment paper between each layer (so the cubes aren’t touching).Alternatively, you can use a scoop/measuring spoon to freeze the puree in measured ‘chunks’ (i.e., 1 Tbsp) instead.

Step 11

To Store: these frozen vegetable bouillon cubes will store for at least six months, if not longer! You could also keep some of the paste in the refrigerator in a sterilized jar and aim to use it within one week.

Step 12

Spread some vegetable bouillon puree on a large tray covered with parchment paper (or a dehydrator sheet) and spread out into a thin layer; the thinner, the better for quicker dehydration. Dehydrate it either in the oven or a dehydrator.In the oven: ideally, set the temperature to 150ºF/65ºC. If it doesn't go that low, prop the door open just a tiny bit to allow extra airflow and choose the lowest temperature. This can take up to 10 hours, depending on the thickness of the layer, humidity, etc.Don’t be tempted to whack the temperature up higher as it will ‘cook’ the puree rather than simply dehydrate it - which could burn the mixture.In the dehydrator: choose 150ºF/65ºC and allow it to dry for up to 10 hours. I recommend checking on it at 5-6 hours and then increasing incrementally until ready.It needs to be dry enough to snap into pieces.

Step 13

Add the flakes to a coffee/spice grinder or small food processor and process into powder. Sieve and repeat the process if there are lots of larger pieces still.To store: store the vegetable bouillon powder in a sterilized dry jar in a cool, dark location (like a kitchen cupboard) for 6 months for optimal flavor. You can also store the powder in the refrigerator to maintain its’ freshness for longer.