Bone Broth is Liquid Gold

A high-quality, nutrient-dense diet is one of the most powerful ways to maintain health and prevent disease. Our gut in particular needs proper nourishment for health to really flourish.

Bone broths contain collagen, gelatine and many minerals. It is soothing and nourishing for our gut and for us.

Bone Broth Basics

You may use chicken, beef, fish bones – use free range, pastured animals. Please avoid feedlot or factory farmed meats, both to support local farmers and growers and to get the nutritionally beneficial fats. The best bones are those from other meals, they’ve been pre-cooked and are free. Keep them in a plastic bag in the freezer, also include any fat that may have been cut off steaks, etc. so it can be rendered and cleansed along with the broth.

Simply put the bones in a pot, cover with filtered water, add a dash of vinegar to help leach the minerals and bring to the boil. Some roughly chopped onion and garlic may be added. The volume of water shouldn’t be more than the jug you’ll be straining the hot liquid into (usually 2 litres).

Simmer gently for up to 8 hours (use a slow cooker or crock pot) or 2 hours in a pressure cooker. A Fast-Slow Cooker is a fantastic kitchen appliance, it will both slow cook and pressure cook. I think a slow cooker is too tedious, the broth takes over the kitchen – a  pressure cook is quick and gets the broth done and into the fridge. I usually do two cycles of two hours in the pressure cooker to get the most out of the bones.

When cooked the whole lot can be poured through a strainer while it is still hot. The bones are good dog food, otherwise they’ll have to be disposed of…

Set the hot strained broth aside to cool and allow all sediment to settle out. A glass jug is ideal for this step.

While still warm pour the clear broth off the sediment into a second (plastic) jug. Put in the fridge to chill, the fat will set on the broth, which should itself set like jelly. Scoop the fat off and place in a nice dish in the fridge so it’s handy for cooking with. This fat may often be quite yellowish and soft, it’s one of the most nutrient dense and nourishing foods of all – it’s an ideal frying oil and adds so much to a stew or gravy. 

The broth will be a soft gel. It may be frozen in portions to add to daily meals – keep a stack of small containers handy.

Using Bone Broth

Use the broth as stock for soups and stews.

For a clear soup, add finely chopped root and stalk vegetables and simmer until tender – celery is excellent for the silica. Ancient grains can be added. Pearl barley is a great old fashioned addition if organic barley grain can be found.

The broth is a great comfort food for sick kids. Add enough salt to make it delicious, buttered toast fingers are an added treat. The broth is hydrating and nourishing.

Frozen portions are a delicious addition to cooking water in vegetables, stews and curries.

It’s a deep kind of nourishment – you’ll feel the benefit in your own bones!