Homemade Stock
Save veggie ends when cooking. Things like onion tops, mushroom stems, garlic paper, herb stems--mostly anything is good, but we tend not to put lettuce in. Store the ends in the freezer in a gallon bag or similar, and when you fill the bag, put the contents in your stockpot and fill it up with water.
Get it to a boil, and while it's heating up add a tablespoon or so of whole peppercorns, some soy sauce, and a small handful of dried mushrooms. Watch carefully for a boilover as it nears boiling, and when it gets there back the heat down to a simmer and let it cook with the lid on for an hour.
When it's time, take it off the burner and take the lid off. It's got to cool, which will take a few hours. (I usually start stock before 3pm to avoid doing the next step too late at night.) Once it's cool enough to handle without scalding yourself, pour the liquid into your stock vessel (the blue gallon pitcher). Then take some cheesecloth and squeeze a handful of vegetable matter, draining the liquid into the gallon pitcher. Make sure to give each handful several good squeezes--there's more water than you think is possible 
You can toss the wad of veg in the trash once you've extracted its vital...essence.
The whole extraction process will take about 30 minutes, but when you're done you'll have a gallon plus of stock. Use it in savory dishes instead of water--if you don't make soup, it can last up to 3 or 4 weeks!
