"Science validates what our grandmothers knew. Rich homemade chicken broths help cure colds. Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons–stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain."
One of the most healthiest and frugalest ways you can feed your family this fall and winter is to prepare large batches of bone broth. The stock is also a way you can use up all those veggies and scraps you have sitting in the crisper drawer (a veggie saved is a meal earned!). This rich broth can be the base of all your winter soups giving all your meals a nutritional boost! It can be the golden liquid used in place of water to make all your rice dishes spectacular and healthier. It can be the base for that simmering pot of beans. It can be cooked down into thick and flavorful gravies. It can also be ladled as-is into a thermos to keep your husband warm and nourished during those frigid winter days (beef tea if you will)!
“Good broth will resurrect the dead.”
~ South American Proverb
Bones and Your Budget {and Second "Stock Tip"}
You can either collect every single bone (the good, the bad and the ugly) when butchering like we do, you can buy the bones rather inexpensively at the local butcher shop and/or, you can save them from your regular "meat" meals (yes, even after you have cooked up a roast or turkey, you can still re-use those bones! I will actually collect the bones after a meal of oven-fried chicken... from the plates (yes!). There are so many health benefits to these bones that I can't control my frugal self). Also, you can make a few batches of broth with the same set of bones. It is called "second stock".
"SECOND STOCK is made from the meat and the bones that remain after the first stock is strained off. More water is added to the remaining material, and this is then cooked with vegetables, which supply the needed flavor. Such stock serves very well for adding flavor to a nutritious soup made from vegetables or cereal foods."
Homemaking Hints
Something you can do along the way is label a freezer container with the words "broth scraps". Every time you have an end piece/peelings of vegetable or something that is about to expire, add them to the freezer scrap bag. You will have a nice collection of flavor and vitamins when you are ready to boil those bones!
Another step which adds richness and depth to the broth is to roast your bones first (unless these are bones you have saved up from already-made meats/poultry which have already been roasted). I line a large roasting pan with parchment paper for easy clean up and lay out the bones in a single layer for best results. Put them in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes. Now, they are ready to be simmered into a sensational stock!
Three Ways to Prepare
To prepare, fill up your stock pot about 1/3-1/2 of the way full of prepared bones (we use beef, lamb, turkey and chicken) and your choice of vegetables. I added onions, garlic, carrots, celery, peppercorns, Italian seasoning, pink salt and a bay leaf this time. You will also want to add 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar*. Next, fill the remaining of your pot with fresh, cold water. Let this sit for one hour. The vinegar (and sitting) will help to pull the minerals from the bones. Now, bring this to a boil and let it simmer on your lowest setting for at least 8 hours or more (the longer the better and up to 24 hours).
You can also place everything in the crock pot and let it go all day and all night if you choose. What I have been doing recently for instant gratification is using my pressure cooker. Being we have a propane stove, fuel is something I try to conserve. The pressure cooker will make a beautiful broth without comprising its nutrients in 45-60 minutes (depending on how "strong" you want the stock).
*Note: Our stock pot is 16 quarts. If yours is smaller, use half the amount of vinegar and so on.
As you simmer the stock, skim the broth when you see undesirable foam appear. You don't want to eat that. When the simmering time is up, simply strain the stock so it is nice and clean.
Removing and Recycling the Fat
Place the pot of strained broth in the fridge overnight and skim the fat the next day (it will rise to the top and harden making it easy to remove). The fat, also called suet will make your birds very happy this winter (perhaps that will be a future post)!
Ready to Eat, Freeze and/or Can
Your bone broth or stock is now ready! You can either use it up right away, freeze it in freezer-safe containers or you may want to can it in your pressure canner (it is unsafe to can stock in a regular, water bath canner).
To pressure can your broth, bring your strained stock back to a boil and ladle into sterilized jars leaving 1" headspace. Place lids and rings on jars and pressure can pints for 20 minutes at 10 pounds pressure and quart jars for 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure (do make sure to check your
altitude to see if longer canning times are recommended for your location). While the finished jars are cooling, it is important to keep them away from cold drafts or the jars may break.
Homemaking Hint
Our large stock pot is 16 quarts. We filled it with approximately 1/3-1/2 high of beef bones and veggie scraps. By the time we were finished simmering, straining the broth and removing the fat, our yield was approximately half of the stock pot. This produced 7 quarts of canned broth. Therefore, If you have a 14 quart capacity pressure canner like we do, you may want to make two batches of broth each time in order to pressure can a full batch.
Just think that many are throwing away their bones and veggie scraps. They are missing out on a pantry or freezer full of valuable, golden, nutrient-dense stock! What the old you would have tossed in the trash, the new you sees as a food possibility and your family will be tremendously blessed by it (via the budget and health to the body)!
"Properly prepared meat stocks are extremely nutritious and contain minerals, cartilage, collagen, and electrolytes all in an easily absorbable form. Also, meat, fish, and chicken stocks contain generous amounts of natural gelatin, which aids digestion and helps heal many intestinal disorders, including heartburn, IBS, disease, and anemia. Science has confirmed that broth helps prevent and mitigate infectious diseases. "
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