Several years ago, I saw a video of Louise Hay talking about bone broth and it reminded me of how my Grandmother taught me to make her vegetable soup.  Louise said to keep a ziploc bag in the freezer and add bits and pieces of vegetables and the leftover bones from dinner and just keep filling it up.  When you have enough for your chosen pot, put it in and cover with filtered water and add some apple cider vinegar.  I use my large crock pot and set it to low and let it cook and cook and cook til everything falls to bits.

Louise Hay lists the benefits of bone broth here and the recipe here (Heather Dane’s site.)

Mom-Mom said to use a couple beef marrow bones.  Her soup had a beef base and it was so yummy!  But in these new energetic times, our bodies are wanting less beef, and we’re eating lighter.  Bone broth is a great way to get the collagen our bodies still need without the heavy digestive process involved with breaking down heavy meat.

So, after my crockpot of bones and veggie scraps has cooked down, I strain it.  Then, I take some of the meat and veggies, add new if possible, and run them through my food processor.  Then I set that mixture aside while I separate the fat out of the broth.  Mom-Mom’s way was, if it was cold out, take the pot outside and put it on the porch.  Unless it is winter and 40 degrees F or below, I put it in the fridge overnight.  After it has cooled, the fat should be in a hardish layer that can be loosened by running a knife around the edge and then it can be lifted off and discarded (some people save it to use in cooking in place of butter or oil.)

Another method that I find works very well for separating is using a gravy separator.  The spout attaches at the bottom so the broth can be poured out from under the top fat layer.  Much faster and allows work to continue without the overnight wait.  At this point, I add back the ground meat and veggies (should be mostly liquid.)  I have been canning this broth in jars and it has worked out very well.  My kids, especially my busy son in medical school, love being able to have a liquid home cooked meal in a jar.  It can be flavored with herbs like parsley and rosemary.  Don’t worry about salt, that can be added to taste when the jars are opened for use.

 

I process the broth/stock in my pressure canner at 10 psi for 25 minutes.

Having the broth/stock ready in jars makes it really easy to whip up a batch of my Grandmother’s veggie soup.

Mom-Mom’s Veggie Soup

To the broth add (all unspecified amounts are to taste) :

1 can or jar of stewed tomatoes (she preferred Italian style for this)

diced celery, carrots, onion, garlic

1 bay leaf

1 can whole kernel corn and 1/4 head cabbage chopped (Pop-Pop was from South Carolina and said these must be in the soup)

Good dash of Worcestershire sauce

Dash of hot sauce or pinch of red pepper flake

Herbs:  parsley, thyme, rosemary

Then add bits of any veggies I have in the fridge, zucchini, peas, green beans, dried beans, broccoli, cauliflower.

The goal is to be creative and build your flavors to make a wonderful mixture of textures and nutrients.  Make sure you have music playing in your kitchen like my Grandma did and don’t forget to add your love.