chicken broth
>> fall is in the air<<
i'm so ready for the newness of the season! when were not getting our cozy fix with things like my pumpkin spice muffins, were warming up with a nourishing mug of bone broth! one of my favorite ancient traditions to bring into our modern world, is the routine use of bone broth. as i have said before, *every single traditional culture*, had their own recipes for bone broth! this practice ensures that all the nutrients found inside the bones, ligaments and organs of the animal do not go to waste.
there are many different ways to prepare bone broth, using whatever meat, vegetables and herbs you have available. the most important thing is to choose organic meat, since conventionally grown livestock are swarming with toxins due to factory farming, improper diet, antibiotics, hormone injections etc… the basic steps are simple and in essence, the liquid created is a very high concentration of vitamins and minerals that are easily absorbed during digestion, making it a "superfood" that should be consumed daily. the high gelatin content is soothing to the digestive tract, offering restorative healing to the often forgotten organ, our intestines.
i have found the perfect rhythm to keeping my deer pack well fed on broth. every two weeks i buy one whole organic chicken. it usually costs right around twenty dollars. if the cost were less than this, i would certainly buy once a week, as i did while living in germany. but for now, forty dollars a month seems just right. each time i make broth, after i strain the liquid, i gather the extra bones and freeze them. this bag of frozen bones will be added to my next batch of broth. it is said that you can actually obtain nutrients from the bones until they crumble. so to make sure that each batch i make has optimal nutrients and flavor, with out having to buy two whole chickens for each batch, one whole fresh chicken and one set of bones will cook together. i know we are getting deeply nourished, and the flavor can't be beat!!
my favorite days are when broth is simmering away in my crockpot, filling my home with the cozy scent of crisp autumn breezes. i can hardly wait to open the lid and ladle out a big mug to sip! as traditional societies used broth as the base for soups, sauces, and grains, i do too, but nothing will beat drinking it straight! i love to stir in an organic raw egg yolk, and a tablespoon of grassfed butter…and listen to my body thank me for choosing true awesomeness ;)
there are many different ways to prepare bone broth, using whatever meat, vegetables and herbs you have available. the most important thing is to choose organic meat, since conventionally grown livestock are swarming with toxins due to factory farming, improper diet, antibiotics, hormone injections etc… the basic steps are simple and in essence, the liquid created is a very high concentration of vitamins and minerals that are easily absorbed during digestion, making it a "superfood" that should be consumed daily. the high gelatin content is soothing to the digestive tract, offering restorative healing to the often forgotten organ, our intestines.
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| mmmm can you smell those flavors bubbling away?! |
i have found the perfect rhythm to keeping my deer pack well fed on broth. every two weeks i buy one whole organic chicken. it usually costs right around twenty dollars. if the cost were less than this, i would certainly buy once a week, as i did while living in germany. but for now, forty dollars a month seems just right. each time i make broth, after i strain the liquid, i gather the extra bones and freeze them. this bag of frozen bones will be added to my next batch of broth. it is said that you can actually obtain nutrients from the bones until they crumble. so to make sure that each batch i make has optimal nutrients and flavor, with out having to buy two whole chickens for each batch, one whole fresh chicken and one set of bones will cook together. i know we are getting deeply nourished, and the flavor can't be beat!!
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| my fresh chicken and previously frozen bones getting to know eachother |
my favorite days are when broth is simmering away in my crockpot, filling my home with the cozy scent of crisp autumn breezes. i can hardly wait to open the lid and ladle out a big mug to sip! as traditional societies used broth as the base for soups, sauces, and grains, i do too, but nothing will beat drinking it straight! i love to stir in an organic raw egg yolk, and a tablespoon of grassfed butter…and listen to my body thank me for choosing true awesomeness ;)
chicken broth
whole organic chicken
frozen bones from previously cooked chicken (see above)
3 tbs raw apple cider vinegar
3 stalks celery
3 carrots
1 bunch parsley
1 head garlic
1 onion
1 apple
1 bay leaf
1 tbs sea salt
filtered water
*remove whole chicken from packaging and rinse. place in crockpot along with frozen bones.
*rinse all vegetables/herbs and chop in half. i like to leave the skin on the apple, onion and garlic. toss in the crockpot.
*add bay leaf and salt.
*pour in filtered water until everything is covered.
*add vinegar and place the lid on. let sit for thirty minutes before turning the heat on as the vinegar begins to draw nutrients out of the bones.
*turn crock pot on lowest setting and allow to cook for 12 to 24 hours. (as foam rises to the top during the first few hours of cooking, scoop this out and discard, as these are impurities.)
*strain and discard vegetables.
*seperate meat from bones. i love using the meat to make chicken salad with my traditional mayonnaise!
*freeze the bones in a ziploc bag to save for next batch. finally, store broth in the refrigerator in a covered container. (the fat will rise to the top making it easy to skim off when you're ready to use. as long as this layer is intact protecting the broth from air, it will keep for six months. when fat layer is broken, it will keep for one week.)
*seperate meat from bones. i love using the meat to make chicken salad with my traditional mayonnaise!
*freeze the bones in a ziploc bag to save for next batch. finally, store broth in the refrigerator in a covered container. (the fat will rise to the top making it easy to skim off when you're ready to use. as long as this layer is intact protecting the broth from air, it will keep for six months. when fat layer is broken, it will keep for one week.)
bone broth is truly the magical tonic missing from our modern world. if you haven't started already, add this nutrient dense liquid to your diet and see what you have been missing out on!
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