While bone broth is a buzzword these days, the practice of making nourishing broths from pastured animals has been around for ages, fueling just about every culture. Making your own bone broth will not only save your budget and loads of cooking time, but it will also deeply nourish your family with nutrients that can only come from scratch-made soup.
Use the broth to make this Healthy Alphabet Soup or Fall Harvest Soup.
Notes
• I leave my broth unseasoned for sea salt and pepper so that I can season it according to whatever soup I am making.
• I keep the bones from my weekly roasted chicken in a large freezer-safe bag in the freezer, and when I have saved up the bones from 2 or 3 whole chickens, I make broth. That way, I’m not having to make broth weekly—just once a month or so.
Simple Nourishing Bone Broth
Ingredients
- Bones from 1 to 3 whole chickens
- 2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
- 2 medium ribs celery, coarsely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) apple cider vinegar or white wine
- Water, as needed (optional; see Notes)
- Black pepper, as needed (optional; see Notes)
Instructions
- Put the bones, carrots, celery, and garlic in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot®. Pour in the vinegar and enough water to cover the bones and veggies. Season the mixture with sea salt (if using) and black pepper (if using). Let this mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to soak.
- If you are using a slow cooker, cook the bones and veggies on low for 24 hours. Strain the broth out into jars.
- If you are using an Instant Pot®, place the lid on the Instant Pot® and make sure the valve is closed. Press the Manual button, and set the timer for 120 minutes. The pressure cooker will start automatically, taking about 10 minutes to come to pressure before counting down the 120 minutes. After the broth is done cooking, release the pressure and strain the broth out into jars.
- To freeze the broth, let the broth cool completely in the refrigerator, then transfer it to the freezer without a lid to freeze for 24 hours before adding a lid. BPA-free freezer-safe containers work well for freezing broth too. Bone broth will keep for 7 days in the refrigerator and for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Notes
Excerpted from The Little Lunchbox Cookbook: 60 Easy Real-Food Bento Lunches for Kids on the Go by Renee Kohley. Published by Page Street Publishing Co. Photography copyright © Becky Winkler.