Bone Broth for Deep Nourishment

Posted: January 8, 2015

In addition to being a tasty way to improve soups, bone broth is an excellent to nourish the body.  Filled with minerals, bone broth can also be sipped by the cup in times of illness and depletion.  Use bones from grass-fed, hormone-free, antibiotic free animals.  Susie’s Grass-Fed Lamb sells five pound bags of bones at the Columbia Farmer’s Market and this is what I used to make my own savory broth this winter.

There are many recipes for bone broth available online.  I like the one I found at mercola.com which includes information about the many potential health benefits of broth.  Healing the intestines from leaky gut, reducing joint pain and inflammation, strengthening bones, preventing infection, promoting healthy hair and nails are among the many claims made for this nutrient-dense food.

– 3-4 pounds beef marrow and knuckle bones

– 2 pounds meaty bones such as short ribs

– 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar (this is essential for leeching nutrients from the bones)

– 4 quarts filtered water

– 3 celery stalks, halved

– 3 onions, quartered

– 3 carrots, halved

– handful of fresh parsley

– sea salt

1) Place bones in pot or crock pot, add apple cider vinegar and water and let sits for one hour

2) add more water if needed to cover bones

3) add vegetables, bring to boil, skim and discard scum from top

4) Reduce to simmer and cook for 24-72 hour (if you prefer to turn off heat over night, return to simmer next day)

5) Add fresh parsley in last few minutes of cooking

6) cool and strain broth, knocking marrow out of bones into broth

7) Add sea salt to taste and drink.  Store in fridge up to 7 days or freeze up to 6 months.