If that Thanksgiving turkey carcass is sitting in your freezer waiting for you to summon the energy to make soup, 
today’s the day to get it out!
Yes, that has been my past pattern, until I learned about the health wonders of bone broth.
You can use the turkey carcass, a whole chicken, even beef bones to create the most nutritious soups possible.
Stop colds and flu
Grandma was right: A bowl of steaming hot chicken soup will nip a cold or flu before it begins and drive away one that has already taken hold.
It has a host of other health benefits, too. Read on.
If you’re already making your own homemade chicken broth (those nasty bouillon cubes don’t count!), you know how simple it is to make. You’re halfway there to making bone broth. Just a couple of simple additional steps makes bone broth that extracts all of the valuable nutrients from the chicken, including minerals from the bones.
A wealth of minerals
According to Sally Fallon Morrell, founder of the Weston A. Price Foundation dedicated to restoring nutrient dense foods to the American diet,
“(Bone) stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur 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.”
There’s more
Other health benefits beyond combating colds and flu:
- It helps “heal and seal your gut” in the words of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome. The gelatin that you’ll get from bone broth is a hydrophilic colloid. That’s a fancy term that simply means it attracts and holds liquids, including those used in digestion, so promoters good digestive health.
- It fights inflammation: Bone broth is chock full of amino acids like glycine, arginine and proline that are strong anti-inflammatories.
- It reduces joint pain: Largely because of these anti—inflammatories and the natural glucosamine and chondroitan sulphates extracted form the bone marrow and tendons, bone broth is an important way to reduce joint pain.
- It strengthens bones: Its rich mineral content, including calcium and magnesium contribute to overall bone health.
- Healthy hair and nails: The gelatin in the broth works better than any commercial gelatin for hair and nail health.
Recipe
You’ll only get that all-important gelatin from broth made from organic or grass-fed or pasture-raised chicken. Regular commercial chicken produces stock that doesn’t gel.
I usually make my broths with a chicken after we’ve had a meal or two. Turkey works equally well. There is always plenty of meat left and, of course, the all-important bones.
Put the carcass into a stockpot with enough water to completely cover it (at least four quarts).
Add:
One large onion
Two carrots
Three celery stalks
(all coarsely chopped)
2 tablespoons vinegar (important to help extract the minerals from the bones)
Seasoning as you like
Cooking:
Place everything in the pot and simmer for 12 to 24 hours. You’ll probably want to remove the meat from the bones after it separates from the bones after 2-3 hours. Put all the bones back in the pot and continue to simmer for the entire time. This is the important difference between bone broth and simple chicken stock.
When it is done, strain the bones out of your wonderful rich broth!
You can add a handful of parsley for the last few minutes to add minerals to the broth.
If you have a cold, feel free to add lots of pepper (especially cayenne) for heat to help break up mucus.
Enjoy!
I have been cutting short the simmering time. Will give this a try, thanks.
You can also use onion skin, veggie peelings, etc. in stock… it doesn’t have to be the veggie itself. Also, did you know that if you cut the bottom from a celery bunch and place it on top of dirt in a pot, it will sprout a new plant! True! Great way to keep yourself stocked in celery and much less cost!