The Magic and Magesty of Bone Stocks

The most valuable thing I have learned on these chilly winter days, holed up in the kitchen, is how to create nutritious soup stocks. It is the KEY to good soups and stews, and the difference between homemade and store-bought is absolutely worth the minimal time and energy involved.

Making stock is like creating a magic potion. It is a powerfully infused liquid that is filled with minerals, vitamins (which are essential to our commonly deficient bodies) and amazingly rich flavor. Obviously vegetable stocks are a great soup base to build off of if you don't eat meat. When making vegetable stocks you want to make sure you use a diversity of vegetables and herbs to give you a diversity of flavor. But vegetable stocks lacks the richness in minerals that make bone broths a potent healing medicine.

Bones are the frame work of your body, they are the earth component, the foundation. When you infuse water with the minerals in bones you are harnessing the elements that will in turn feed your body what it needs to have a strong and healthy foundation. Specifically...

Bone broth contains a few critical elements that contribute to foundational health. One of the most key components is gelatin. Gelatin is essentially collagen, which is found in all connective tissues, ligaments, joints, skin, and bones. Gelatin is hydrophilic, meaning it attracts liquid, even after it has been heated. This property makes it an essential aid in digestion and used in the treatment of many digestive ailments. "The same property by which gelatin attracts water to form desserts, like Jello, allows it to attract digestive juices to the surface of cooked food particles." - Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions.

To makes sure you get a good dose of gelatin in your stock you want to put in bones with lots of connective tissues. Skin also has a lot of gelatin as well. Commercial gelatin is largely made from industrial pigskins and a kind of salt that is similar to MSG, so avoid store bought gelatin if you can. You know when your stock is especially rich with gelatin when you cool it and it turns to a solid jiggly mass...that's the good stuff!

If you are making a chicken or fish stock it is good to just boil the carcass whole, or cut up into sections. Fish stock is hailed as a miracle cure-all in many cultures and is consider by some to be the most nutritious, easiest, and cheapest stock to make! With beef bones, which you can find from a local farmer or usually can be bought at a health food store, it is good to roast them first.

Another good way to make stock is to use the by-products of other meals. For example, you roast a chicken or a pork shoulder...once you take the meat off you have a carcass that can be saved and put into the stock pot. You can add vegetable scraps, as long as they are relatively fresh, and there you go!

Here is a basic Chicken Stock recipe

 

1 whole roasted chicken - I take the meat off after roasting and put aside to add to the soup later. Then you can chop up the carcass, or leave it whole, with feet and head if possible!

SIDE NOTE on chicken feet. They are packed full of gelatin and other great flavor and nutrient enhancing qualities to add to you stock. When incorporating them you will want to briefly blanch them, peel the outer skin off, and then cut the nails off.

2 whole onions, chopped up with skin and all if you like.
1 head of garlic ~ same as onions
4-6 sticks of Celery (the center part with the leaves is always a good choice, and tends to be left over)
3-5 unpeeled carrots - chopped with butt-ends and all
a handful of Parsley
2 springs of Rosemary
a splash of vinegar or wine - this helps to draw more minerals, particularly calcium, magnesium and potassium, into the broth.
and up to
1 1/2 gallons of water - you can substitute 1/2 the water for whey if you have it.

Bring all ingredients to a light boil and if any foam forms skim this off. The foam is fat impurities that add off-flavors to your stock. Once you are foam free simmer (not boil) for at least 4 hours. Then strain out the vegetables and bones and compost them. You can store your stock in jars in the fridge for up to two weeks. You can also freeze your stock in bags or freezer safe containers for much longer. Keep in mind portion sized storage ~ if you are cooking for 1 or 2 store your stock in 2-4 cups containers. 

You can use your stock to make delicious soups, gravy, or to cook rice or other gains with.You can also soak your dog's food with watered down stock - great way to boost their nutrient intake!

(I plan to add better pictures to this post...as soon as I make my next stock!)