I usually start with a whole chicken, my veggie scraps from the week (onion tops, celery tops, tomato peelings, etc.) plus any extra veggies I want, and a crockpot. I put everything in the crockpot and cover with cold water. If I remember, I put in vinegar (helps extract minerals) and soak for thirty minutes. I cook everything for 4-6 hours then debone the chicken. I keep the meat for a meal and place the chicken bones and fat back into the crockpot. I cook this for another 20 or so hours. I strain the broth into jars and place in the fridge. It's extremely easy to skim off fat once the broth has gotten cold. Usually I use some of the broth then freeze the rest either in bags or in ice cube trays. The veggies, bones, and fat that are left over are crumbled/crushed and fed to the dogs. Most of the bones just crumble to pieces after being cooked so long, although a few of the bigger bones are still too sharp and hard and have to be removed.
Why? My broth contains absolutely no MSG. Homemade broth is better, hands down, than store-bought broth. I love knowing all the wonderful nutrients (ha ha, makes me think of Nacho Libre) that are in the broth whenever I cook or make soup with it.
Science validates what our grandmothers knew. Rich homemade
chicken broths help cure colds. Stock contains minerals in a form the
body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium,
phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the
broken down material from cartilage and tendons--stuff like
chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive
supplements for arthritis and joint pain. From this site.
Another site has a lot of information about broth. Look on page 3 of the article to find a reason that serving meat with gravy may not be so bad after all. :-)
I think I'm going to buy a whole chicken from the co-op this month and see if the broth actually gels better (as some say it does) with a free-range chicken.
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