Our home always smells wonderful.  That’s because of the 2 crockpots that I always have set on LOW cooking bones for broth. 

I first learned about the value and importance of bone broth while studying the principles of Dr. Weston Price as he studied traditional diets.  He recognized that all traditional societies used bone broth to their advantage, and it has become an important part of Scott and Karen’s daily traditions.

Each morning, along with our coffee, we each enjoy a mug of homemade bone broth.  We also use the broth to make soup.  The health and healing benefits are numerous.  Here are a few of the potential benefits of bone broth:

• Leaky Gut – Many of my patients and clients suffer leaky gut.  Years of stress, sugar, refined foods, additives, alcohol, antibiotics, and other stressors, have taken their toll on our gut linings and essentially what happens is that instead of having tight junctures, they become loose.  The gelatin in the broth protects and heals the lining.
• Improves Immune Response – Nutrients in bone broth support the immune system and help the body to fight infection.
• Inflammation and Joint Pain – Glucosamine is a very popular supplement for reducing inflammation and joint pain.  Glucosamine is found naturally in bone broth. Broth also has anti-inflammatory amino acids such as glycine and proline.  Glycine has also been found to calm the mind.
• Encourages strong, healthy hair and nails – Bone broth contains collagen and gelatin which support hair, skin, and nails.
• Encourages healthy bones – Bone broth contains calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus which promotes healthy bones and repair.

So, consuming bone broth on a daily basis has numerous health benefits, and it couldn’t be easier to do.  Basically, I put my bones (I bought a 2 1/2 pound package that basically is used for making soup) in a crockpot filled with purified water.  I turn the heat on HIGH for about 6 hours, then reduce the heat to LOW for a balance of  48 hours.  This is assuming I’m using beef bones.  If I were cooking a chicken or turkey caracas I would only cook them for 24 hours.

For the first 24 hours I typically just cook the bones in water with a little apple cider vinegar to help leach the nutrients out of the bones.  Then for the next 24 hours I’ll add vegetables, but, honestly, my goal isn’t to use these vegetables as part of the soup, so it wouldn’t be uncommon to through in carrot ends, broccoli stalks, celery ends, really anything that I might otherwise through away.  My goal is just to benefit from the taste and nutrients found in these vegetables.

After 48 hours I strain the broth, throw away the vegetables, and put the broth in jars, in the refrigerator.  I let the fat coagulate on the top before I use it, and discard SOME of the fat when I consume it.  I want some of the fat because that’s where a lot of the health benefits are, but I don’t want it to taste like I’m just drinking grease either.

So, that’s what’s in my crockpot.  In fact, as I prepare this post, I am enjoying a large mug of broth…..AND I have a message in to a friend who processes deer.  With any luck, I’ll be able to score a freezer full of deer bones.