Homemade Chicken Stock

Ummm... Chicken Stock. So many uses... sauces, soups, flavoring...

But the best thing about Chicken Stock? The nutritional value. Homemade chicken stock has a natural ingredient which feeds, repairs, and calms the mucous lining in the small intestine. This inner lining is the beginning or ending of the nervous system. It is easily pulled away from the intestine through viruses , too many food additives... and parasites. Chicken soup... heals the nerves, improves digestion, reduces allergies, relaxes and gives strength. Hannah Kroeger - Ageless Remedies from Mother's Kitchen

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 the broth. Dr. Francis Pottenger, author of several famous studies as well as articles on the benefits of gelatin in broth, taught that the stockpot was the most important piece of equipment to have in one's kitchen.
Sally Fallon - Nourishing Traditions

The main reason I feel SO good about serving homemade chicken stock - the gelatin it contains. Have you ever roasted meat... and after getting the leftovers out of the fridge the next day... saw some jello-like stuff? I used to throw it away in disgust. Who knew it was a super nutritious food?!

The public is generally unaware of the large amount of research on the beneficial effects of gelatin taken with food. Gelatin acts first and foremost as an aid to digestion and has been used successfully in the treatment of many intestinal disorders, including hyperacidity, colitis and Crohn's disease. Although gelatin is by no means a complete protein, containing only the amino acids arginine and glycine in large amounts, it acts as a protein sparer, allowing the body to more fully utilize the complete proteins that are taken in. Thus, gelatin-rich broths are a must for those who cannot afford large amounts of meat in their diets. Cont'd from Nourishing Traditions

Homemade stock made of animal bones, is an incredible source of minerals, electrolytes, and especially gelatin, all of which boost our health through important nutrients or improve our digestion (which goes completely hand in hand with our health and absorption of nutrients).

Besides all of this, for our family on a tight budget... animal protein, using broth in your soups, stews, rice, pasta sauces, etc. will enable your body to more adequately make use of the protein that you are able to eat!

Here's the simple way to make your own Homemade Chicken Stock:

1. Begin with the bones of a preferably organic, pastured chicken.

2. Put the bones in your crock pot, completely covered by cold water, add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Let this sit for about an hour.

3. Turn on low, and remove the scum that rises to the top after about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Next, add some veggies. I save the remnants of onion, celery and carrots whenever I'm chopping and preparing other dishes, and put them all in a plastic bag in the freezer until I'm ready to make stock. I just dump all these remnant pieces into my crock pot.

4.Let it cook for 24-48 hours. The longer the better because it draws out all of the gelatin and other nutrients from the bones.

5. Pour through a strainer and set broth aside to cool.

6. Put broth in containers.

7. Keep what you can use in a week in your fridge, and freeze the rest.

This was my yield from the batch. Check out the color! I placed them with sunlight behind them, and to my delight... the front two are almost opaque! Diluted to the consistency of what you would buy in the grocery store, I think I made about 12 containers of chicken stock. I used to buy organic, free range chicken broth (on sale) for $2.50 a box. So I am saving about $33 in what I would have spent on chicken broth... each time I use my leftover bones from our roast chicken to make stock. And it's ABSOLUTELY more nutritional.

Recently, I could tell a few of us were starting to fight off a cold, so I wanted to give us all a good dose of mushrooms... since they help our bodies to fight off viruses. (Mushrooms contain a group of compounds known as beta-glucans. These polysaccharides boost the immune system and help the body fight off foreign invaders such as flu and cold viruses. The mushrooms with the highest levels of beta-glucans are Shititake, Reishi, and Maitake)

Saute Mushrooms and Garlic. Add broth. Bring to a simmer. Add green peas and some cooked, diced potatoes {I keep these in my fridge for quick homemade hash-browns in the morning (see previous post)} Cook for 5 minutes. Lunch is served... and everyone loved it. Yummy!