Chicken Bone Broth

I started making our own chicken stock a few years ago when we started raising our own pastured chickens. Sadly, making your own stock or broth has become a lost art, especially in the younger generations such as mine. I’m a prime example of someone who had no earthly idea how to do it. I just picked up a can of broth at the grocery store when I needed it and did not think any more about it. I didn’t think about the factory it was made in, the workers who worked in that factory, what ingredients were in the broth, or the treatment and origin of the animal used to make the broth. It’s insane to see the difference between store bought broth and homemade. It’s darker and thicker, and not watery like most grocery store broth. A friend of mine recommended the Nourishing Traditions Cookbook a few years ago, which challenges the American diet full of processed and additive-filled food. It explains the many benefits of adding homemade broth to your diet. It is known for aiding the digestive system, used to heal and prevent the flu and cold, and protection from a variety of health problems. Sally Fallon, the author of Nourishing Traditions, states, “Properly prepared meat stocks are extremely nutritious, containing the minerals of bone, cartilage, marrow, and vegetables as electrolytes, a form that is easy to assimilate. Acidic wine or vinegar added during cooking helps to draw minerals, particularly calcium, magnesium and potassium, into broth.” It’s not only extremely healthy, but perfect to eat plain or add to soups and casseroles. It’s the perfect example of food being medicine! Some even say it works better than Tylenol! Because our frames and feet are in large packages I moderated the original recipe from the Nourishing Traditions Cookbook by Sally Fallon.