What's So Special About Bone Broth?
What's So Special About Bone Broth?
Chances are good that your great grandmother knew the answer to what's so special about bone broth, but somewhere along the way, Campbell's soup slipped into family's wellness arsenal and the secret was nearly lost. Alas, with the revival of ancient traditions, the 21st century welcomes back wiggly, jiggly, magical medicine in a pot. So what's so special about broth that's made from bones?
Let's start with bone broth's potent properties, which include:
Healing and sealing a leaky gut.
Boosting immunity.
Cooling inflammation
Thinning mucous and acting as an expectorant.
Strengthening bones and teeth.
Aiding in weight loss.
Building muscle.
Improving mood.
Making skin healthier.
When making a steamy pot of luscious goodness always begin with good quality, washed bones, preferably organic. Since this is a healing food, it stands to reason that you will want to choose meat from the animals that were raised in a natural and happy environment. If using raw beef bones, roast them at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. If you are using the carcass of a chicken, you generally need 2 to make a good broth. I collect chicken bones in a freezer bag until I have enough. Remember the more bones you use, the more collagen your broth will contain.
Fill the bottom of a large crock pot or stockpot with bones then add filtered water to nearly the top. Add ¼ cup Bragg’s Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. The vinegar will act as an acid medium to help pull the minerals out of the bones. Cook on low for 24 hours. After 24 hours, add organic celery, carrots, onions and garlic and continue to cook for up to another 1-2 hours. You can add other types of vegetables that you like as well. This is just what is standard. I’ve thrown in sweet potatoes and even a jalapeno to give the broth a kick. This is also the time to add a bay leaf, fresh herbs such as sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, parsley. Whatever you have on hand. The vegetables and herbs will add even more nutrition and healing properties to the broth.
After the last hour, turn the broth off and allow to cool somewhat before filtering it out. You can use a large mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Feel free to add 1-2 tsp. Himalayan Pink Salt and pepper to season to your liking. Once it’s been refrigerated, you can keep the fat layer that hardens on the top as it helps to preserve the broth better. You can discard it once you are ready to use it. However, once it’s warmed through, the fat adds a nice bit of flavor and nutrition if you’d prefer to keep it.
The broth will be good for 1 week while in the refrigerator. You can freeze it in Mason jars as long as you leave plenty of room at the top for expansion or BPA free quart freezer bags that can be frozen flat and stored easily. The broth can be drunk by itself, made into soup, used to cook rice, quinoa or veggies. Keep some frozen to pull out to make Get Well Soup at first signs of sickness.
Enjoy!
