Fall has come and gone, but I find that winter is the best time to make broth. As the snows pile high and the outside events are limited to feeding and milking the kid critters….heating the house with the wondrous smells of broth just seems right. Like everyone else, I followed the broth recipes that most do, leeks, onions, carrots, so many vegetables added to our butcher bones. Until……..
You knew there would be a but, or until, if you read any of our blogs before. ~grin~
Years ago while shopping for the normal broth, you got to have these vegetables, I had a chat with a sweet older lady. She grinned and asked me why I would waste a good carrot on broth!! Really, she did…so my response was because the recipe I use said too…..such an adorable giggle she gave me. Then she proceeded to rest her arm lovingly on my shoulder and told me I was wasting my time, that a good broth didn’t need it. Then she told me her secret to a good bone broth….of course I listened, smiling politely, thanked her for her recipe. I then took my shopping home and chopped, diced, and followed my recipe.
It was years later that I finally followed her advice, and I have to admit, it wasn’t because I wanted to. Money was tight that year….try finding vegetables in winter in Montana, that didn’t cost an arm and a leg - let alone finding ‘fresh’ vegetables! Well, you can see where I’m going with this. A good broth indeed doesn’t need all those veggies, unless you’re making vegetable broth of course!
The first time I did it her way; I was shocked, pleased, and forever changed in how I make broth. I don’t regret making it this way; I just regret not trying it earlier. Not only do I save money, all those beautiful veggies can be used as food us, not scraps that go to the chickens.
So how do I make a good broth? Let’s talk…..
You knew there would be a but, or until, if you read any of our blogs before. ~grin~
Years ago while shopping for the normal broth, you got to have these vegetables, I had a chat with a sweet older lady. She grinned and asked me why I would waste a good carrot on broth!! Really, she did…so my response was because the recipe I use said too…..such an adorable giggle she gave me. Then she proceeded to rest her arm lovingly on my shoulder and told me I was wasting my time, that a good broth didn’t need it. Then she told me her secret to a good bone broth….of course I listened, smiling politely, thanked her for her recipe. I then took my shopping home and chopped, diced, and followed my recipe.
It was years later that I finally followed her advice, and I have to admit, it wasn’t because I wanted to. Money was tight that year….try finding vegetables in winter in Montana, that didn’t cost an arm and a leg - let alone finding ‘fresh’ vegetables! Well, you can see where I’m going with this. A good broth indeed doesn’t need all those veggies, unless you’re making vegetable broth of course!
The first time I did it her way; I was shocked, pleased, and forever changed in how I make broth. I don’t regret making it this way; I just regret not trying it earlier. Not only do I save money, all those beautiful veggies can be used as food us, not scraps that go to the chickens.
So how do I make a good broth? Let’s talk…..
Broth made from bones is a nutritious, tasty, yes you can (can it) treat. Not only that, gravy in a pinch is so easy! We spend time canning vegetables, fruits, complete meals, so why not broth too?
So let’s use rabbit broth as an example…..we butcher in late summer and fall. We simply put the bones in the freezer until we’re ready to make broth some cold snowy day in winter. No time for broth in the fall when Nick is busy butchering all the extra livestock. He takes his time processing the meat and grinding meat. Does he leave tons of meat on the bones? No, albeit, he does leave the ribs for me.
Come broth time, he simply removes the bones from the freezer and I let it thaw by the wood stove until I can break the bones apart. For rabbit, we also leave the ribs and skin flap from around the ribs for broth.
Getting out the big pot, I just put the bones in there and my husband fills it with enough water to cover the bones….I will cheat and add a garlic clove and an onion, but that’s it. I cook it until the meat starts falling off the bones….sounds simple doesn’t it….minus the vegetables, pretty much what you already do.
So let’s use rabbit broth as an example…..we butcher in late summer and fall. We simply put the bones in the freezer until we’re ready to make broth some cold snowy day in winter. No time for broth in the fall when Nick is busy butchering all the extra livestock. He takes his time processing the meat and grinding meat. Does he leave tons of meat on the bones? No, albeit, he does leave the ribs for me.
Come broth time, he simply removes the bones from the freezer and I let it thaw by the wood stove until I can break the bones apart. For rabbit, we also leave the ribs and skin flap from around the ribs for broth.
Getting out the big pot, I just put the bones in there and my husband fills it with enough water to cover the bones….I will cheat and add a garlic clove and an onion, but that’s it. I cook it until the meat starts falling off the bones….sounds simple doesn’t it….minus the vegetables, pretty much what you already do.
I than turn off the stove……leave it over night so any fat can float to the surface and start to harden. The next day I skim the fat. Hubby helps me strain the basic broth off the bones…..and we put watery broth in a new pot. We take all the meat off the bones and set the meat aside for later.
I start cooking the broth liquid again, cooking it down by a third to almost half…..yes, you read it right. I than let it cool to see two things………is there any more fat to skim? Or is it a somewhat gelled state? Fat, well I just skim it…..if it isn’t gelled yet, that means I have to cook it down some more. Does it take a day or two? Yes. Do you get a little less broth? Yes, but the flavor……
Once it reaches the gel state I know it’s ready to heat, strain, and then can. Yes I strain our broth again ….I actually don’t want chunks in my gravy. That’s it….we can in quarts and pints….we can use this broth for anything…gravy, soup base, cooking rice in, you name it….it’s rich and nutritious especially for someone who is sick. We enjoy just drinking an occasional cup of broth to warm us on cold days. This is the same process we use for all our butchered animals; whether goat, rabbit, chicken, etc.
Once it reaches the gel state I know it’s ready to heat, strain, and then can. Yes I strain our broth again ….I actually don’t want chunks in my gravy. That’s it….we can in quarts and pints….we can use this broth for anything…gravy, soup base, cooking rice in, you name it….it’s rich and nutritious especially for someone who is sick. We enjoy just drinking an occasional cup of broth to warm us on cold days. This is the same process we use for all our butchered animals; whether goat, rabbit, chicken, etc.
So what about the meat? Well if you know us by know, you know we don’t like to waste anything. We take the cooked rabbit meat we removed from the bones and run them through a small grinder…this we package up in small packages….when we want a treat, we thaw the meat, add salt, pepper, parsley, and mayonnaise to taste….lunch anyone?
With this method, we maximize the products we produce…..we have broth for tons of uses…meat for lunches….vegetables are utilized when available & fresh….we don’t have all that broth shopping in winter…..and most of all we save money.
The points we’re trying to make are multiple: You don’t need tons of vegetables to make a good broth; you don’t always have to follow the recipes you grew up with; and sometimes you should listen to that sweet little old lady at the grocery store!
Blessings
Brenda Lee
The points we’re trying to make are multiple: You don’t need tons of vegetables to make a good broth; you don’t always have to follow the recipes you grew up with; and sometimes you should listen to that sweet little old lady at the grocery store!
Blessings
Brenda Lee
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