Bone Broth – My Elixir to Cure All Ailments

I’m a great believer in prevention rather than reaction to many situations in life. One of them is when it comes to health!

Like with everything else, if we look after ourselves and are mindful of what we eat, we can prevent from getting ill and feeling very stressed. I’m going through a very stressful period myself so am very much needing to heed my own advise. It’s hard to remember to take all my remedies and making sure I’m calm and relaxed.

One factor people underestimate greatly in the pursuit of health is the power of food and what we eat. By now, my regular readers will know that I have a preference for organic and biodynamic food. I also shop exclusively in farmers markets and health food shops, which means I do tend to eat local and seasonal food.

Winter is always a time when there’s less choice for me as farmers take a break from growing their crops. I find this also an exciting time as it gives me more opportunity to experiment with dishes that maybe in the summer I wouldn’t eat as much.

One staple for me is bone broth. I make it every 10 days, all year round (that’s how long it lasts in my fridge). I’m convinced that this is one of the reasons I’m hardly ever ill and fight off many viruses lurcking around. It’s a must for me and I use it as an elixir to cure all ailments, whether physical or emotional. It’s one of the oldest known homemade foods to nurture the sick and I call it the Jewish penicillin.

I use a 10 Litres  stainless steel cooking pot.

Some of the produce you can find at a farmers market right now.

Apis Apples at the farmers market

I love these purple carrots.

For my bone broth I use the normal carrots as I don’t like when the water discolours with the purple variety.

Leeks is a must for bone broth.

Celeriac is so underrated and so yummy.

Beautiful squash.

Squash delicate. Roast in the oven for the sweetest taste.

Red kurl Sqaush

Savoy cabbage.

January King.

I’m lucky to get the best bones from the farmers markets. I vary between beef bones, chicken carcasses, veal or venison bones. Sometimes I make a fish stock. It really all depends on what I can lay my hands on.

I keep it very basic. Here is how:

Place bones in the pot.
Cover with cold water. I use filtered water. Leave a bit of room at the top for the vegetables.
Bring to boil and cover with lid.
Skim off any foam that rises to the top.
Put in onions, leeks, carrots, swedes, turnips (if in season), celery (with their leaves), parsley, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns, bring to the boil
and simmer for a minimum of 3 hours. I like to simmer for up to 12 hours as the longer the bones simmer the more nutrients are released.

I then let it cool down before putting the pot in the fridge (I have a very big fridge). A layer of fat will form on the surface and keep it sealed from the air. I use it as a base for dishes or to make soup for the next 1o days.

Why not try it. You will thank me. Keep healthy my friends. Have a great weekend. See you Monday.