HOMEMADE BONE BROTH

It has been said, “Good broth will resurrect the dead” and I couldn’t agree more. Bone broth is an incredibly health-boosting food with amazing healing properties such as:

1. High in minerals. This traditional, your-grandma-used-to-make food is a source of minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium that are easy for your body to absorb.
2. Rich in amino acids. Bones contains glycine and proline, important amino acids not found in large amounts in the muscle meat of animals. These are important for a healthy gut and digestion, muscle building and a strong immune system. This is why it is important to drink bone broth if you are feeling sick or run down.
3. Contains anti-inflammatory compounds. Glucosamine and chondroitin, popular over-the-counter supplements, are naturally occurring in bone broth.
4. High in collagen. Collagen is the protein located in connective tissue that nourishes joints, tendons, ligaments, and bones. The gelatin in the broth is produced from the breakdown of collagen. This beneficial gelatin helps with gut healing (helps repair leaky gut), reduces inflammation, prevents bone loss and improves the health of hair, skin and nails.

Homemade bone broth is a key component of Glow, by Jenni Houston. We are not talking about the store-bought stuff that contains additives, preservatives, MSG and other scary stuff. The homemade version is made with bones you can get from your local butcher, farmer, online source like U.S. Wellness Meats, or you can use leftover bones from a whole, roasted chicken or turkey.

Bone broth has many valuable uses you can incorporate into your daily life. Broth can be sipped as a delicious tea to help prevent sugar cravings and nourish the gut by reducing inflammation from foods like gluten, dairy, and processed foods. It is also works great as a nutritious base for other homemade soups, stews and recipes. During this cold and flu season, use the bone broth to boost immunity. If you are feeling run down, try to drink a cup of broth a few times a day to help you recover.

How to Make Traditional Bone Broth

You can make homemade bone broth on your stove top or in a crockpot. It is going to simmer for at least 10 hours so choose which ever method is easier for you.

Glow Bone Broth

1 whole free-range chicken carcass or 2 pounds of bones
2 chicken feet (optional)
5 quarts cold filtered water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
2 dried bay leaves
2 sheets dried kombu (sea vegetable)
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoons sea salt
Bunch of parsley

Place all chicken carcass or bones in large stock pot or crock pot, add water and vinegar. Let sit for 45 minutes to allow nutrients to be pulled out of bones.

Add all vegetables, except parsley. Add bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium high heat (if using a crockpot, set to low for 10-20 hours and let cook). Reduce to a simmer and remove any foam that rises to the top. Reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 20 hours, occasionally skimming the foam that rises to the surface, to remove the impurities. Add the parsley during the last hour of cooking.

Remove from heat and let cool. Strain the stock into large bowl and reserve in the refrigerator until fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim this fat and store the stock in covered glass container(s) in refrigerator for up to a week or in freezer for several months. Enjoy!