How to Make Bone Broth
Bone broth is one of the ways that food and herbalism blend in my kitchen. The broth is full of trace minerals and you can add herbs like reishi, astragalus, elderberry and burdock to infuse your meal with plant medicine. It's tasty and it's an easy way to get a meal going; add it to a grain for an extra kick, warm it up with miso for a savory afternoon treat, freeze it in ice cube trays for a little flavor to veggies. Once strained and sealed, it also stays fresh in the fridge for three weeks!
Many of my clients are familiar with Bone Broth because I often ask them to incorporate it into their menu planning. The recipe I use has changed over time with recommendations from friends and teachers. I'm a creative cook, and encourage you to adapt the recipe to whatever bones, herbs and veggies you have available. I hope you find this recipe helpful and healing. Enjoy!
Active Time: 45 mins
Total Duration: 72 hrs
Ingredients:
- A bunch of bones: I usually bones that are left over from a roasted chicken. I will store them in my freezer until I have enough to fill the bottom of my crock pot. I have also used turkey bones and beef bones. Sometime you can buy bones at a deli or other meat market.
- Dried Medicinal Herbs: Reishi is a great one to toss in here, also astragalus. Possibly dandelion root, burdock root and/or elderberry.
- 1/2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
- Veggie Scraps: This is mostly for flavor, so use what you like. Again, I will keep scraps from meals past in a bag in my freezer for this use. Onions, garlic, beets, squash, potato, celery, parsley, cilantro, burdock, carrots, all come to mind. Do NOT use brassicas, like kale, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, as they do not make a good flavor.
- Dried Culinary Herbs: Thyme, coriander, cumin, oregano, marjoram etc.
- Water
Recommended Tools:
- Large pot or slow cooker
- Quart Jars
- Ladle
- Strainer
-Wide Mouthed Funnel
Process:
1. Place bones and medicinal herbs into a large pot or slow cooker with the bones and dried medicinal herbs.
2. Fill the pot with water.
3. Add the apple cider vinegar. This helps leech the minerals from the bones into the broth.
4. Turn on the heat, and bring to a boil, which may take anywhere from 20 mins to a couple hours, depending on what settings are available and how much liquid you are working with.
5. Once the contents of the pot reach a boil, turn it down to simmer. Keep it at a low simmer for a minimum of 24 hours, and as long as 72 hours.
6. If desired, add the veggie scraps when you are a few hours away from completing your broth. You don't want to cook the veggies for more than 8 hours. You can also add the dried culinary herbs at this time.
7. When you are ready, turn the pot off and let cool. As it cools, use a ladle and strainer to allow only the liquid into the quart jar. If you let it cook for 3 days, the bones should be break apart with a gentle touch, into granules. If need be, use a cotton cloth for extra fine sifting. It is best to use clean jars and to strain the broth when it is still hot so that it will seal the jar as it cools and last for several weeks. Also, as you let it sit, a seal of whitish-gold fat will likely form at the top of the jar. This will melt when you reheat it.
8. Store the broth in the fridge for up to three weeks, or a year in the freezer for one year. Cheers!
