There are many ways to nourish, heal, and vitalize our bodies, minds, and spirits, and it’s been a long time since something has been as deeply nourishing for me and my body than a cup of homemade seasoned bone broth. At this time in my life, broth feels like the greatest gift to have in my fridge, awaiting a gentle warm up for when I need a cup of comfort. I can literally feel the nourishment in my cells…
If you haven’t yet, I’d like to invite you to watch the interview with my friends at Evermeadow Farm to learn about Regenerative Agriculture (and where my chickens come from!) and also to watch the how to video for a roast chicken. Those two pieces here on Grow will bring you here to making the elixir that is bone broth!
“Homemade broth, of course, is a whole food product. It’s a slow food, whole food, and real food that has been nourishing and healing people for tens of thousands of years.”
-Sally Fallon Morell, Nourishing Broth: An Old-Fashioned Remedy for the Modern World
Chicken Bone Broth
Ingredients
- Carcass from a 3-5 lb chicken consciously sourced if possible
- 2-6 chicken feet consciously sourced if possible
- 4 quarts / 4 L of filtered water
- ⅓ cup / 85g apple cider vinegar
- sea salt to taste for serving
Aromatics of your choice:
- carrot, garlic, onion, celery, thyme, rosemary, wakame, black peppercorns, shittake mushrooms, bay leaves, ground turmeric, etc.
Directions
- Add the bones and feet to a large stock pot. Add water to cover, about 4L, and the apple cider vinegar. Let soak for 30 to 60 minutes before adding heat. This step is optional but very worthwhile!
- Bring the water to a gentle simmer, covered, over medium-high heat. Let simmer 4-6 hours over low heat. Check your broth occasionally to make sure it's not boiling too hard – this will denature some of the beneficial compounds of your bone broth, though it will still be delicious!
- You can let cool at this point and strain, or you can prepare your aromatics and add them to the pot! Feel free to leave the skins on your vegetables but make sure any dirt or debris is removed from whatever you add.
- Bring pot back to a low simmer after adding your additional ingredients. Simmer covered for another 60 minutes, checking to make sure it is not boiling too hard.
- Let cool enough to strain the broth through a sieve and pour into clean glass storage jars – I love the wide mouth ones for broth!
- Store in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for up to six months. Say thank you and enjoy every sip with a pinch of sea salt!
