Nourishing Bone Broth

There is something so deeply nostalgic and nourishing about homemade bone broth. I love gifting practical, delicious and lovingly crafted goodies during the holidays, and bone broth is at the top of my list.

The patient process of thawing the bones, roasting them, and slowly simmering them over many hours has become an important ritual in my life. Do you ever feel an innate knowing deep within your bones? I often wonder, what wisdom was held in these bones, as I watch them release their nourishing juices into the broth.

My broth recipes are fluid and change with each batch, depending on what is in season and what I have on hand. I keep a broth bag in my freezer, where I store my veggie scraps until I am ready to make a batch. Veggie skins, butts, tops and roots are saved and sometimes I’ll even throw my herbal tea leaves in there as well for some additional medicinal support.

You can use any bones for broth (pastured is always best), and I always like to roast them in the oven first to harness more of the deliciousness before adding them to my crock pot with my veggie scraps.

If you have a pressure canner, bone broth can be sealed in jars in your pantry throughout the year.

Ingredients

Grass-fed bones or chicken feet (omit for a veggie broth)

Filtered Water

Vegetable scraps

Fresh Garlic

Fresh Ginger

Any or all of the following: Cinnamon (Stick), Star Anise, All Spice, Whole Cloves, Coriander Seeds, Peppercorns, Bay Leaf

Sea Salt

Optional: Dried Shiitake

Optional: Seaweeds like Dulse or Kombu

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 425°F. Place your marrow bones in a deep roasting pan or casserole dish and roast until they darken and release more of their juices and flavours (about 30 minutes). If you’re using chicken feet, it will take less time, so keep a close watch. Roasting before hand is not a necessary step, however it does add a depth of flavour that I quite enjoy.

You can also throw in fresh onion, garlic, peppers, celery, and any vegetables of your choosing into the oven to roast with the bones.

While the bones are roasting, I like to lightly toast some of my aromatic spices in a dry pan.

Step 2: Add bones to a large pot or slow cooker and add about a 2:1 ratio of ingredients to water, or just enough to barely cover the bones. Heat on med/high for several hours. The higher heat will help extract the collagen to give you a thick and nourishing broth.

*Make sure to skim the fat, foam, and impurities from your broth within the first hour of cooking. Continue to do this until it reaches a boil. *Do not stir your broth.

Step 3: About half way through cooking, add your aromatic spices and vegetables to your broth to infuse for another few hours.

Once your broth is finished, take off heat and let cool at room temperature until comfortable to handle. Use tongs to remove the bones, and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Compost the bones and solids.

Step 4: Pour your strained broth into sealable glass jars and store for up to a week in the fridge, or freeze for long-term storage. *If freezing, leave about 3 inches of headspace as your broth will expand as it freezes, and loosely apply the lid until the broth is completely frozen.

If you have a pressure canner, your broth can be properly sealed and stored in the pantry.

A jar of homemade bone broth makes for a thoughtful and nourishing gift, and one that keeps on giving. If gifting your broth, make sure to label and date your jars.