Makes 8 cups
Broth is an ingredient often found in recipes. Although you can buy it in the store, making it at home offers a nutrient-dense way to get in calcium, magnesium, and other essential vitamins and minerals. The nutrients are easily and readily absorbed by your body because of the bone marrow’s natural healthy fat. With the natural gelatin of the bones, when you put this broth in the fridge you’ll get beef Jell-O! Simply heat the broth up and the layer of fat and gelatin will turn into a delicious and flavorful broth.
And if you make it yourself, then you don’t have to buy boxes or cans of broth at the store, which often have “natural flavors”—another word for MSG or weird food like cellulose, made from the wood of trees. I don’t know about you, but those ingredients make us a little scared and certainly make our boys’ bodies go crazy!
We love cooking with bones. What a fun learning experience! Plus this recipe has the extra benefit of making your house smell delicious for hours! After it’s done, you can use it in recipes like our Ratatouille and Bunny’s Soup, or just have a mug full to start your day!
INGREDIENTS
• 4 lbs beef bones or 1 whole chicken carcass
• 4 carrots, broken in half
• 4 celery sticks, broken in half
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large onion, skinned and quartered
• 1 head of garlic, halved across the cloves
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 8 C water
INSTRUCTIONS AND HOW KIDS CAN HELP
1. Place all ingredients in a stock pot or slow cooker, covering with water.
2. If using pot on stovetop, cook on high until boiling, then cover and reduce heat to low; if using slow cooker, set to low.
3. Simmer chicken stock for 6 hours or 12 hours for beef.
4. After cooking, strain stock to remove remaining vegetable and bone solids.
5. To skim the fat from the broth, place stock uncovered in refrigerator overnight and remove hardened layer the next day—set aside for cooking.
6. Store in sealed containers in refrigerator or freezer.
