Timeframe: 1 day

Bone broth offers a zero-waste approach to deep nourishment from food scraps.

Ingredients

  • bones from red meat (beef, pork, venison)
  • washed vegetable scraps (onion, celery, carrots, leafy green stalks)
  • 2 tbsp vinegar, kombucha, whey, or lemon juice
  • optional: bones from poultry, bay leaves, peppercorns, or other aromatics

Supplies

  • roasting pan
  • spoon
  • tongs
  • spoon
  • large pots
  • colander
  • mason jars

Bone broth

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  2. Arrange red meat bones in a roasting pan and roast for 10-15 minutes.
  3. Remove bones from oven and spoon melted fat and marrow upon them; rearrange bones.
  4. Roast for another 30 minutes, rearranging bones once or twice more for even cooking.
  5. Remove from oven and place bones in a large stock pot. Cover with water and add vinegar. Let rest for an hour for acid to draw minerals from bones.
  6. Pour remaining fat from roasting pan into a jar for use in cooking or blending into cultured butter to make marrow butter.
  7. Add saved vegetable scraps, poultry bones and spices to stock pot; cover and bring to a boil.
  8. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer; skim and discard any foam from the surface.
  9. Cover and simmer for 12 or more hours.
  10. Turn off heat and strain broth into mason jars for storage.

    The broth is extremely nutrient dense and will degrade if left at room temperature.

  11. Cool broth rapidly by placing the capped jars in an ice bath in the sink, or simply refrigerate.
  12. Pick extra meat off of stock bones to enjoy. Compost the remaining bones or feed to backyard chickens.
  13. When using each jar of broth, scrape off the fat layer from the top of the jar, and reserve for use as a cooking fat.

    Use broth within two weeks. Alternatively, pour cooled broth into ice cube trays and freeze for long term use.

Bone broth

Bone broth is a nutrient-dense staple that can be enjoyed as a beverage or used as a base in a variety of recipes.