Every week Alex Guarnaschelli, host of Alex’s Day Off, shares with readers what she’s eating — whether it’s from the farmers’ market or fresh off the boat, she’ll have you craving everything from comfort food to seasonal produce.

Why make vegetable stock? That has been a question I’ve asked myself for years, until I gave it some thought. I find when I make vegetable soups, I turn to butter or cream for thickness — I wanted another option. Why not vegetable stock? Unlike meat stocks, they don’t need long-term cooking to bring out their flavors. Vegetable stocks are a cheap date. Here are a few rules I follow:

1. Avoid any really strong herbs (i.e. dill or an abundance of rosemary) or vegetables that may have a bitter skin (i.e. squash or rutabaga). Mushroom scraps are gold to me (don’t forget to wash them first).

Read the rest of Alex’s tips and get her recipe »