Veggie Stock

7 quarts water
1 pound of carrots (cut up in 1 in. pieces)
6 stalks celery (cut up in 1 in. pieces)
3 med onions (quartered)
2 medium peppers (they say red, yellow or orange)
2-4 medium tomatoes, diced
(the nutrition values include only 3)
2 small to medium turnips, diced (medium)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 bay leaves (I used the measurement of 1 tsp. in N.V.)
1 T fresh or 1 teaspoon dried whole thyme
8 peppercorns (I used this number and the values of 1T)

1 Combine all the ingredients in a 10 or 12 Qt sauce pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat; simmer covered for 2 hours. *Remove the lid and continue cooking for 2 hours more.
2. While the stock is simmering, prepare the canning jars and two-piece caps according to the manufactures instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot.
3. Strain the stock by pouring it through a mesh strainer or several layers of cheesecloth. Discard the vegetables and seasonings.
4. Ladle the hot stock into your prepared jars, leaving 1 in. of head space. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the 2 piece lids, hand tightening the bands. Process your filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds for 30 Min's. (pints), 35 Min's. (quarts), After the pressure in the canner has returned to 0, open the canner and remove the hot jars with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals.

Processing time: Pints, 30 Min's.; quarts, 35 Min's. Yield About 8 pints or 4 quarts
*in the book "Canning and Preserving for Dummies this line says "remove cover" I believe it is a typo. I also left out some basic canning info and reference to pages.

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user OREAD_1.