Nettles, Treadles and Love

“Good broth will resurrect the dead.” – a South American proverb.

Well made stock is a potent source of easily assimilable nutrients and minerals.  Back when most animals were slaughtered locally and nothing went to waste – bones, hooves, knuckles, heads and tough meat – all went into the stock pot and cooked long and slow on the stove-top.

Gelatin is a major nutrient imparted to the broth that aids in digestion and gut healing.  Though gelatin is not a complete protein in itself, it acts as a “protein sparer”, allowing the body to more fully utilize the complete proteins that are taken in.

for more detailed info, check out this post by Sally Fallon:

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/broth-is-beautiful

or this great blog post:

http://nourishedkitchen.com/bone-broths-adrenals-bones-teeth/

We pretty much always have a pot of stock cooking away to use for soups and stews, sauces and seasoning.  It adds richness, nutrients and flavor to anything you add it to, and of course is nourishing as a simple warming beverage.

The first step in creating good quality broth is finding good quality meat.  This can take some leg-work depending on where you are, but some good places to start are your local farmer’s market or on the web: eatwild.com &  localharvest.org

Since toxins in the animal will be condensed in the stock just as the nutrients are you want to be sure to avoid factory farmed animals who have been fed unnatural diets, lived stressful torturous lives, and given drugs and anti-biotics to prevent them from getting too sick.  Look for animals raised on pasture or grass-fed by small family farms.  Hopefully this will become easier and cheaper as demand increases.

The second step for good broth is getting good quality water.  Most places tap water is just as good or better than bottled water, but is really not adequate, so filtering is almost always necessary.

A good, reliable and affordable system is the Berkey gravity fed filter: http://www.berkeyfilters.com/

A more expensive and extensive purifier is the 14-stage radiant life system: http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/product/474/water-filtration-systems

As you are filling your pot with animal parts and water, you will add a healthy amount of good quality salt (celtic sea salt,  Redmond’s Real Salt) for more minerals and flavor.  Also, apple cider vinegar (1/4 – 1/2 cup) will acidify the water helping to draw out certain minerals, particularly calcium, from the bones.

Most recipes call for browning the meats to bring out flavors and adding veggies for more minerals, but i don’t usually do either.  I just make a rich meaty bone broth straight from the fridge or freezer (or occasionally from a cooked roast).  Start with cold water (enough just to cover the contents) and bring to a boil.  As the water heats it slowly extracts flavors.

A scum will rise to the surface right before boiling.  This effluvium – impurities, alkaloids, lectins – should be skimmed off, with a mesh strainer or a spoon.  Scim the scum.

Once it begins to boil, reduce heat to it’s lowest point so it barely simmers.  Cover with a lid and leave for 24 – 72 hours or so.  (fish may only need a few hours)

The broth should be strained.  Sometimes there are meats that can be picked out and used as snacks or for salads, etc.

Then the broth should be chilled.  A layer of fat will form on the top.  Some fat is great, but most of what congeals should be removed.  It can be saved and rendered and used as cooking fat, or even for making soap!

When the broth is cool it should firm up nicely because of the nutritious gelatin (like a meat jello).  No worries if it doesn’t – maybe add a little less water next time.  It seems to vary.

We have been putting our broth in bio-degradable corn “plastic” containers to put in the freezer, but we just got a pressure canner and have begun canning our broths and stews and many other things.  This way we don’t need the refrigerator to preserve things.  Very satisfying.

 

This is a necklace I made out of a perfectly cut (with bead-hole even) beef bone straight out of the stock pot (washed of course).  Lovely shape and color.