Today I'm making chicken broth!
Broths are a wonderful thing. I use them in all sorts of cooking including soups, rice and my family’s favorite Kielbasa and Cabbage. A lot of people think that making broth is complicated or expensive. When I first started making homemade broth I used a recipe I found online. It turned out fantastic but the money I spent on all the vegetables and a whole chicken did not end up costing less that what I could buy at the store. I knew my version was healthier, but honestly the time it took to make it didn’t motivate me to make more.
Then I started thinking about my grandma and how ladies in times past made broth. Did they go to the market and buy arm loads of vegetables just to make a broth that they could pour in rice? I doubt it. Then I read an article by Leanne Ely of SavingDinner.com. She had the novel idea of making a broth with leftover vegetables you already had in your fridge, like your wilty spinach and rubbery carrots. Vegetables that would probably end up in the trash next time you cleaned out the fridge. I loved that idea and have used it ever since, adding a few things here and there. Including organic egg shells (Egg shells are high in Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Glycine, Gelatin, Collagen, and Other trace minerals.) and some medicinal herbs (Astragalus, Dulse, Thyme, all meant to boost the immune system and shorten the duration of colds and flus.).
Now I don’t know about you, but I love making gigantic pots of soup, and a little bitty broth from only one week’s worth of leftover vegetables just isn’t going to cut it for us. So, I started placing a giant freezer bag in our freezer, and for two or three weeks, I’ll toss in any chicken bones (leftover rotisserie chicken carcass works great!) and clippings or vegetables I won’t be able to use in time. Which makes the cost of making broth practically free, except for the cost of the medicinal herbs and some fresh parsley. Eventually I have enough to make a 16 or 18 cup pot of broth. If you would like an actual recipe for broth, an excellent one is by Shoshanna Easling at the Bulk Herb Store.
Then I started thinking about my grandma and how ladies in times past made broth. Did they go to the market and buy arm loads of vegetables just to make a broth that they could pour in rice? I doubt it. Then I read an article by Leanne Ely of SavingDinner.com. She had the novel idea of making a broth with leftover vegetables you already had in your fridge, like your wilty spinach and rubbery carrots. Vegetables that would probably end up in the trash next time you cleaned out the fridge. I loved that idea and have used it ever since, adding a few things here and there. Including organic egg shells (Egg shells are high in Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Glycine, Gelatin, Collagen, and Other trace minerals.) and some medicinal herbs (Astragalus, Dulse, Thyme, all meant to boost the immune system and shorten the duration of colds and flus.).
Now I don’t know about you, but I love making gigantic pots of soup, and a little bitty broth from only one week’s worth of leftover vegetables just isn’t going to cut it for us. So, I started placing a giant freezer bag in our freezer, and for two or three weeks, I’ll toss in any chicken bones (leftover rotisserie chicken carcass works great!) and clippings or vegetables I won’t be able to use in time. Which makes the cost of making broth practically free, except for the cost of the medicinal herbs and some fresh parsley. Eventually I have enough to make a 16 or 18 cup pot of broth. If you would like an actual recipe for broth, an excellent one is by Shoshanna Easling at the Bulk Herb Store.
How to Make Broth
 1. Here’s a freezer bag of my leftover veggies. I have some turnip, carrots, onion, celery, garlic…I think a sprig of rosemary…and potato peelings.  3. Then I add my medicinal herbs. Immunity Boost Blend: 1 cup dried Astragalus root 1/4 cup Dulse flakes, 1 Tablespoon Thyme 1 Bay Leaf 1/2 Tbsp Mixed Peppercorns. |  2. After rummaging through my fridge, I also found some more celery, onions and a bag of frozen spinach that had maybe a cup left in it. I also like to add a bunch of fresh parsley. I get two bunches for a dollar at the market and it gives the broth a good taste. Plus it’s super good for you!  4. I also tossed in some neck bones and gizzards from a turkey I had made earlier in the week. I also like to add two tablespoons of vinegar to further extract minerals from the bones and shells. Then I cover it all with water and bring it to a boil. As soon as it boils, cover it and forget about it until three hours later. |
Here’s a picture of it three hours later. You can see the vegetables are starting to break down, but it’s still not quite the color I want it, so I let it simmer for another hour or so.
Now this is perfect. The vegetables are mush and the color is nice and dark and flavorful. At this point, I turn off the heat and add some salt to taste and maybe a splash or two of tamari sauce.
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5. To strain the broth, you are going to want to let it sit for a while until it’s close to room temperature, so you don’t burn yourself. Then line a colander with cheesecloth or other type of fuzzy free fabric (I used leftover fabric from a roman costume I made last Halloween, washed with no fabric softener). Under the colander I put a large metal bowl to catch all the scrumptious broth. Then SLOWLY pour the broth into the lined colander and wait for it to drain through. Once you’ve done this for the whole pot, gather the sides of the fabric together and hold it up with one hand. Take your other hand and lightly squeeze the fabric (don’t do this if you use cheesecloth unless you want some sediment).
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6. What you have left in the bowl is your uber healthy, totally awesome chicken/vegetable broth! You can now take this and store it how you want. I use good quality freezer bags (the cheap ones almost always have holes) and measure 6 cups of broth per bag. Then I store the rest in a mason jar to keep in the fridge for use throughout the week in my rice or whatever else I end up making.
It might seem complicated the first time you try it, but really there’s a large margin for error. The only vegetables I don’t suggest using are those with hard to mask tastes (like some seaweeds), or colored veggies like beets and purple cabbage. You’ll end up with a bloody or purple broth, ha! So really, just have fun and remember to always put a little love into it.
Brightest Blessings,
It might seem complicated the first time you try it, but really there’s a large margin for error. The only vegetables I don’t suggest using are those with hard to mask tastes (like some seaweeds), or colored veggies like beets and purple cabbage. You’ll end up with a bloody or purple broth, ha! So really, just have fun and remember to always put a little love into it.
Brightest Blessings,
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