Ultimate Bone Broth for Sipping, Soups and Smoothies

Bone Broth is great for healing and supporting our Gut Health.  A 3-Day Bone Broth fasts a couple times a year will give your digestion a rest and boost healing. It's a great base for homemade broths too. Don't be surprised that it doesn't have a lot of flavor. I used to cringe when I would read about everyone using it in their morning smoothies. Now I understand. You really don't taste it.


Best Bones to choose:

Beef...
Knuckles, Joints, Marrow, Neck and Feet (rich in cartilage)
Meaty Bones like Oxtail, Shank and Short Ribs add a lot of flavor

Chicken or Turkey...
The Whole Carcass, Necks, Feet (I add Chicken Feet to every broth I make, they're a great source of gelatin)

Pig...
The Feet are rich in cartilage and are a good addition to any broth

Fish...
The Whole Carcass and Heads are especially good. Choose from a Wild-caught, non oily fish like cod, halibut, rockfish, snapper, sole and tilapia (they have smaller bones so that means less cooking time. Usually an hour will do it!) Fish broth is great for Adrenal Support.

Shellfish...
The Carcass of Crab, Crayfish, Lobster and Shrimp

Save your Scraps!

You can store them in a bag in the freezer to keep on hand for you next batch of Broth.

Asparagus - Good in small quantities.

Bay leaves - 1 or 2 leaves for each quart of liquid. 

Beet Greens - Good in small quantities.  Add beet greens toward end of cooking, they break down quickly.

Beets - Beets can be added, but they will turn the stock a very dark color. Beet skins should not be used.

Carrots – Great. They add sweetness so watch how many you add.

Carrot Tops (leafy part) - Use only in very small quantities. Too many can make the broth bitter.

Celery stalks – Great.

Celery leaves - While the outer leaves can make the broth bitter, a small amount of the inner leaves can be used with good results.

Chard - Good in small quantities.

Cucumber - Good in small quantities.

Fennel – Very strong flavor. Okay in small amounts if you want the distinct fennel flavor.

Garlic – Great.

Greens - Avoid bitter greens like Collards and members of the brassica family (bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, rutabagas).  Other greens can be used in small quantities. Spinach and Turnip Greens are best added toward the end of cooking.

Herbs – Good in Small quantities (Basil, Chives, Cilantro – strong flavor, Dill, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary – can turn bitter, Thyme)

Jerusalem Artichokes - Good in small quantities.

Leeks – Great.

Mushrooms - Mushrooms add rich flavor especially to vegetable broth.

Onions – Great.

Onion Skins - Onion skins add a lovely color.

Parsnips - Good in small quantities.

Radish - Not recommended.

Scallions – Great.

Shallots – Great.

Squash - Too starchy for broth. Zucchini is okay in small amounts.

Squash Peel - Squash peels add good flavor to the broth.

Sweet Potatoes - Sweet Potatoes don’t add much flavor and some variety are too starchy for the broth.

Turnips - Too strong for the broth.

Directions:

Step 1... BLANCHING
This step removes impurities from the bones and gives you a clean and clear broth.

1. Put the bones in a big heavy stock pot.
2. Fill with just enough water to cover the bones.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Simmer for 20 minutes, skimming any foam that might float to the top.
5. Drain and give the bones a quick rinse.
6. Rinse out the pot before using again too. 

Step 2... ROASTING

Roasting the bones brings out the flavor. Not necessary but recommended. Do not to do this with seafood.

1. Place the bones into a large, heavy roasting pan.
2. Set the oven for 450 degrees.
3. Roast until brown and caramelized. The time will vary so keep an eye on them. Roast until they are darker in color but not burning the meat bits. I could take 30-60 min. 
4. When they're almost done, drizzle some Apple Cider Vinegar (you can also use lemon juice) over the bones and roast for an additional 10 minutes. This will help dissolve the connecting tissues and extract the minerals from the bones during simmering.
5. Remove the bones and put them back into your stock pot. 
6. Deglaze the roasting pan by adding a little water and scraping up the bits on the bottom. Add these to the pot for more flavor.

Step 3... SIMMERING

1. Add your choice of vegetables, wild medicinal mushrooms, healing herbs or superfood sea vegetables like Wakame or Kombu to the pot. An extra splash of Apple Cider Vinegar is good to add too.
2. Add enough water to just cover the bones. You don't want to go higher than that because you end up with watered down broth.
3. Cover, leaving an air gap and start simmering. 
4. Add water to keep bones covered as it simmers, check every few hours or so.
5. For larger beef bones, 24-48 hours is ideal. Smaller bones like chicken may only take a few hours to a day, fish maybe an hour or two. Keep an eye on how they're doing. You can boil the bones until they're soft. If your broth looks good but you think your bones have more to give, you can start a new batch. It will look lighter but will still have great nutrients in it.
6. Bacteria starts to grow quickly so you want to cool the broth down as fast as possible. You can put it in a large shallow pan with some ice cubes before storing. You don't want to put the hot broth in the refrigerator, it will warm up everything in there. I always make mine in the winter and put it in the cold garage to cool. 
7. If you're making a big batch, freeze in freezer safe containers or ice cube trays to use in smoothies. You can transfer the frozen cubes to a freezer bag. 
8. Because the bacteria grows quickly, don't leave in the refrigerator longer than a couple days before using. 

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