Bone Broth

A generation or two ago, when we bought meat, we got the bone too. Frugal cooks got the most out of their meat purchase by saving bones, small pieces of meat and scraps of vegetables and making them into nourishing broths and soups.

Broth made from bones and meat scraps is extremely nutritious. An acidic ingredient is added to the broth to draw the minerals out of the bone and into the broth, especially calcium, magnesium and potassium. The protein from the collagen on the bones is broken down and goes into the broth also, in the form of gelatin. Gelatin from bone broth (not the commercially made highly processed white powder) is very healing for intestinal disorders, and may also be helpful for other chronic diseases. The way to tell if you cooked your broth long enough is to see whether it gels when cooled. The longer you cook the broth, the more nutrients are drawn into it, so some authorities recommend cooking it for up to twenty four hours. A crock pot is ideal if you wish to do this. However, people with allergies who are sensitive to monosodium glutamate may have trouble tolerating long-cooked broths because the longer they are cooked, the more natural glutamates are in the broth. If you are reacting to bone broth, try cooking it for only six to eight hours.

Now that butchering is done in large plants and the bones are discarded, you may have trouble finding bones for bone broth. If there is a large health food store with a butcher counter near you, ask there. The Weston Price Foundation local groups may also be able to direct you to local sources.

Most of the broth recipes in Healing Basics are made from game animals and less common fowl but recipes for beef, turkey and chicken bone broth are also included. To purchase real bone broth already made, look in the frozen food section of your health food store.