It has been awhile now since I started transitioning my family's diet to be more natural and healing. Adding bone broth has had a great impact on our family. When my youngest son was born, he was very colicky and unhappy. I went on a diet called GAPS. Within a few days this little boy who wouldn't sleep and cried all the time gave me a smile and slept. I knew it before, but now that I actually witnessed such a dramatic change almost overnight I was forever sold on the philosophy that "food is medicine."
One of the main ingredient in the GAPS diet is nutritious bone broth.
Good Broth doth resurrects the soul (South American Proverb)
I agree! There have been numerous times when one of my kids will start to feel sick. I start making chicken soup and the mandatory bed rest and within a day or two they are good as new.
Broth is for anyone who has taken antibiotics, is sick, diarrhea, diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, or who just wants to feel better.
Bone broth/stock helps with digestion and has been around for centuries as a healing folk remedy for the digestive track.
It is said that 70-80% of your immune system is in the gut wall, so we better take good care of our digestive track.
So what makes stock so great?
Stock is extremely nourishing containing the minerals of bone, cartilage, and marrow in a form that is easy to digest. If you add apple cider vinegar to the pot, it will draw out minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, silicon, sulfur and other trace minerals. Because bone broth also contains broken-down material from tendons and cartilage, it's also rich in other nutrients like chondroitin and glucosamine.
So how do you make great stock?
With Marrow Bones of coarse!
My Grandpa Cook used to tell a story about a little old lady and a marrow bone. I love this little story. I have always loved retelling it back to my children as they were growing up, and even though we all knew what was coming, we'd always laugh and try to surprise someone again. For a complete retelling of the story go here.
So now every time I use marrow bones to make broth, I always think of this fun memory.
What you will need:
Stainless steel stock pot
Water
Apple Cider Vinegar
100% grass fed Beef bones, Marrow bones, soup bones, and knuckles
Organic chicken, necks, and feet.
Sustainable raised pork bones, necks, and hock.
Hooves, knuckles, skull, and feet will help produce the most gelatin-rich broth that's full of other good stuff for your joints. The meaty bones will produce the hearty flavor you love, but just about any bone will provide many healthful minerals.
About 2-4 lbs. Marrow bones, left over bones or soup bones.
Add enough water to cover bones in a large stock pot
2 Tbls of Apple cider vinegar and let set about 30 min.(This help draw out the minerals)
Most of the time, this is all that I do. But sometimes I add:
Add 1 onion
2 carrots
3 stalks of celery
Salt and Pepper to taste
Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer for 12-24 hours. (I have let it go up to 3 days adding water if needed)
Let cool, then strain the broth and store in refrigerator for about 1 week
discard bones.
Use to make soups, stews, and gravies.
Resources:
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride Gut and Psychology Syndrome
Sally Fallon Nourishing Traditions
Kristen Michaelis Beautiful Babies