homemade bone broth

I learned how to make bone broth a few months ago when my practitioner recommended that I include it in my diet daily to help heal some gut issues. I have to admit, at first I was really intimidated when he told me it had to be home-made. I had never made broth before and it seemed like such a huge and complicated task. Those of you that have made it, know that it is actually quite simple. And the flavor of home-made broth is incomparable to packaged broth – definitely worth the extra effort just for that. Since, I usually have it on hand now, I add it to many recipes as my “secret ingredient”.

I’ve personally experienced great health benefits by including broth in my diet. Balanced  Bites wrote a great piece about this, so I won’t repeat, instead I will just direct you to the article.

We make an effort to include broth in our diets as much as possible. This usually entails something really simple, like heating it up and throwing in whatever veggies we have in the fridge – carrots, celery, parsnips, etc.

Don’t want to make your own? You can buy pasture-raised broth HERE.

This recipe makes approximately 9-10 cups.

Ingredients:
10-12 cups filtered water (my crock-pot only had room for 10)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3-4 lbs beef bones
3-4 cloves of garlic – crushed
1 tablespoon dry thyme
1 tablespoon dry parsley
vegetable scraps for additional flavor – onion, carrot, celery (I just use whatever veggies I have that aren’t going to last much longer)

1. For additional flavor, brown the bones on the stove top in bacon-grease or butter before placing in the crock-pot. I don’t do this every time, it depends on how much time I have.
2. Place all ingredients in a slow-cooker and set on low for 8-10 hours.
3. Once the stock is cooked, let it cool and then strain the stock through a mesh strainer to seperate.
4. Place the stock in separate glass jars or ziploc bags and place in fridge for use within a few days or freezer for later use.