• Wash hands thoroughly and gather ingredients.
• Pour frozen vegetables into an Instant Pot steamer basket. Place the basket inside of Instant Pot.
• Add garlic clove, peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, and any optional add-ins.
• Pour enough water into the Instant Pot so it reaches just below the fill line. Put the lid on the pot, and close the vent.
• Set the pressure cook time at high for 15 minutes. When it has finished, let the pressure release naturally for another 15 minutes.

  If the valve has not dropped after 15 minutes, open the vent to release any remaining steam.
• Open the pot, and carefully remove the steamer basket full of vegetables, using tongs to grab the handles.

  Place the basket in a large bowl and let it cool. When cool, gently squeeze to remove any remaining liquid, being careful not to push any mushy vegetable bits through the basket holes.
• Discard cooked vegetables. (You can add them to compost if you want.)
• Store cooled broth in containers, such as wide-mouth pint-size glass jars, silicone soup trays, ice-cube trays, and/or pint and gallon zip bags. Freeze and use as needed.

  *If your veggie bag contained many herbs or fennel fronds, you may want to strain the broth through a cheesecloth. Tiny herb particles tend to migrate through the holes of the steamer basket.

Slow Cooker Method

• Pour a gallon zip bag of frozen vegetable bits into a slow cooker.
• Add garlic clove, peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, and any optional add-ins.
• Cover the veggies, herbs, and spices with 3 quarts of water. Put the lid on.
• Set the cooker for high, and let the mixture come to a boil. (This could take some time because the veggie scraps are frozen.) Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 ½ hours.
• Let the broth cool, and then use a skimmer to remove vegetables and large spices or roots.
• Pour the broth through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a large pitcher or measuring cup.
• Use the pitcher or measuring cup to pour the broth into storage containers, like ice-cube trays, pint-size glass jars, or zip bags.
• Freeze or use immediately to make a soup or other dish.