One of the richest sources of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. Also packed full of collagen, gelatine and glycine.
But isn’t making bone broth a bit of a faff I hear you mutter? Honestly, it needn’t be. Here’s my method:
We have a roast chicken, usually on a weekend when we can chill and enjoy. After the first sitting I remove all the meat from the bird and refrigerate for leftovers later.
Into a stockpot I pop all the bones and skin from the roast, separating them into smaller sections if necessary. To that I add a couple each of carrots, onions or leeks and celery. Then a bay leaf, some peppercorns, and the roasting pan juices if I haven’t used them already. Lastly add a few tbsps of vinegar and fill up to the top with water. The vinegar helps to extract nutrients from the bones.
I gently bring to the boil, lid on and then simmer for at least a few hours. If you’re really committing you can simmer for 24hours. The longer you go, the more nourishment will be imparted into your broth. You may wish to skim off any impurities from the surface after a few hours.
Once done, cool a little then strain using a sieve. All the bits go straight in the food waste. Refrigerate the golden liquid within 2 hours of taking it off the heat. It should form a jellylike consistency when cool.
You can pour the liquid broth into jam jars and cool then freeze. This will give you ready portioned mug fulls to drink during pregnancy and postpartum. Alternatively I know people who like to freeze in ice cube trays or small silicone moulds so they can have little portions to use as and when.
If you are using it fresh, use up within a few days
Some people just aren’t into drinking “straight” broth, in which case I suggest using it as a base for stews, dahl, soups, pies. Anything you use stock in basically. You can sub out stock for this and it will give you a much more nutritious, filling meal.
Give it a go! You won’t look back. It’s delish!
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