Touted for its many immunity boosting properties, Bone Broth contains many many nutrients including all of the basic minerals that are often missing in our diets like magnesium, potassium, and the all important sodium.  It can help alleviate joint pain and improve gut and overall health!  I even just read in Epicurious that there are shops opening up that serve bone broth to go instead of coffee stating that it has so many more energy enhancing properties than coffee!!

Bone broth (or chicken or beef stock, as we’ve been calling it for years) like our grandmothers used to make Is very inexpensive to make with leftovers and/or very cheaply obtained basic ingredients.  A large pot can yield more than enough to have in the fridge to be available at any time, and enough to freeze for weeks to months at a time.  Buy fresh poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, or goose) and save the leftovers from roasting it.  We even bring home our leftover bones when we eat out because our favorite chicken wings are enormous and worth saving for broth!  Or ask your butcher if he has any leftovers (a mix of bones with a little meat on them, such as oxtail, short ribs, or knuckle bones).  Mixing the poultry in with the beef bones will ensure more nutrients including gelatin not found in marrow bones.

Ingredients:

Ingredients for 1 added gallon of water.  The bigger your pot, the more you can make so just multiply the quantities out depending on how many gallons of water your pot will hold

• 1 pound beef bones marrow bones (from your local butcher)
• 1 pound poultry bones
• 2 chicken feet for extra gelatin (optional)
• 2 large unpeeled carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces (or 6-8 small carrots)
• 2 medium leeks ends, (trim root end off), cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 large stalks of celery
• 1 medium onions, quartered
• 1 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon (or more) sea salt
• 2 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 garlic cloves
• Add Parsley and or Thyme sprig in last 30 minutes (optional)

Preparation:

• You’ll need a large stock pot to cook the broth in and a strainer to remove the pieces when it is done.
• If you are using raw bones, especially the beef bones, it improves flavor to roast them in the oven first (the poultry bones are often already roasted in our house, so we only do the beef bones and chicken feet).
• We use our broiling pan, as it has a fantastic surface that’s easy to clean.
• Roast the bones for 40 minutes at 350, they come out lovely, all browned. (If roasting the vegetables, stir halfway at 20 minutes (some people like to roast the veges as well – they say it seems to enhance the flavor).
• Remove from pan, and place in the bottom of your large stock pot..
• Pour (filtered) water over the bones and add the vinegar.
• Let sit for 20-30 minutes in the cool water.  The acid helps make the nutrients in the bones more available.
• Meanwhile, chop the carrots and leeks in 2 inches, and discard the leafy tops.
• Chop the celery, and KEEP the leafy tops!
• Chop the onions in quarters and add all the vegetables (except the parsley, if using) to the pot.
• Add salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, and any additional spices, or herbs, of your choosing.  We like to keep it simple without the herbs at this stage though.
• Top up the water, cover over all the vegetables and bones with filtered water, and bring the broth to a boil.
• Once it has reached a vigorous boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 48 hours!!
• During the first few hours of simmering, you’ll need to remove the impurities that float to the surface. A frothy/foamy layer will form and it can be easily scooped off with a big spoon.  Throw this part away.  I typically check it every 20 minutes for the first 2 hours to remove this.  Grass-fed and healthy animals will produce much less of this than conventionally raised animals.
• During the last 30 minutes, add  the parsley, if using.
• Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Strain using a fine metal strainer to remove all the bits of bone and vegetable.  Make sure you get the remaining marrow out of the bones.  It’s delicious an nutritious.  We have found that enclosing all the ingredients in a mutton cloth bag inside the pot makes the process infinitely easier.
• When cool enough, ‘decant’ into a few separate containers, 1 or 2 depending on size to keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, (if you don’t eat it before that!!)
• Store the rest in the freezer.
• Enjoy and drink heated up with a few extra spices added, and a little extra sea salt if needed for an easy snack, in between meals. (an excellent way to keep you satiated and supply you with tons of nutrients!
• Or use it to make your favorite soup.  We’ll get more into additional recipes at a later stage, but it’s super easy to add any leftover meats, and vegetables to your liking to heat up for a quick and easy lunch or dinner. I’ve added chicken, roasted pork, or steak – Brussel sprouts, spinach and a bit of cheese.

Voila ~ a super delicious and nutritious meal, fresh from your kitchen, and all natural instead of out of a can!

Enjoy!

Macronutrient Profile:

Serving Size: 1 Cup
Fat        :  1.41g
Protein :  3.64g
Carbs   :  1.1g