Recently I have written an article about the healing benefits of bone broth.The healing actions of this simple broth is amazing and I can understand why it was such a staple in our ancestors diet. It is such a shame that so many of these simple, yet nourishing foods have gone from today’s diet and have been replaced with processed versions that are devoid of the nutrition of the original.
Once you get into the habit of making broth you realise how easy it is, in fact there really isn’t any cooking involved. Simply throw everything into the slow cooker and come back 8-24 hours later.
For those who don’t have a slow cooker, you can toss everything into a large saucepan and leave it on the lowest heat and let it simmer away. However you are trapped at home whilst this is cooking as you don’t want to go out with the stove still on. If you don’t have a slow cooker I encourage you to buy one. You will use it endlessly. These day’s you can pick them up for around $40, or if the budget allows it you can spend around $100-$150 and buy a multi-function cooker that also has features such as pressure cooking, rice cooking, soup plus many more. The pressure cooking option is great for cooking dried beans and legumes really quickly.
When making your bone broth you can use either raw bones t hat you can buy from the butcher, or you can use bones left over from meals. I always keep any left over bones from dinner in a zip-lock bag in the freezer. You can make either just chicken, lamb or beef stock, but most of the time is just toss them all in together.
The one thing that you do need to remember is that the bones must come from healthy animals that have been pasture raised and grass fed. Healthy animals make healthy food.
- • 1/2-1 kg bones any variety
- • 2-3 liters filtered water
- • 1 carrot peeled and chopped
- • 1-2 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
- • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- • 2 celery stalks chopped
- • 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Place all the ingredients into a slow cooker and make sure that there is enough water to cover the bones.
- Set the slow cooker to cook for 8-24 hours.
- Strain the liquid from the slow cooker with a fine mesh sieve.
- Store the broth in glass jars. It will keep fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days. Extra broth can be kept in the freezer.
- Notes – you can use any type of bones that you prefer. Chicken bones make a lighter stock and takes less time to cook due to the small bones. You can add any type of vegetables or herbs to flavour the stock that you have left over in the fridge.