Don’t Throw Away the Bones!

There is a plethora of health benefits that can be extracted from the tissues of an animal.  Chicken skin is full of healthy unsaturated fats and the bones and connective tissues contain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.  Amino acids make up collagen, which is a popular supplement for its benefits to athletes, beauty enthusiasts, and everyone in between.  Where you are sourcing these nutrients does matter, and we believe there is no better source than an animal that was raised humanely (stressed animals do produce more cortisol), naturally (we don’t want poisons sprayed on our food and we don’t want poisons sprayed on our food’s food), and a freshly harvested animal (think of the ultra processing required to create multivitamins, collagen powder, etc.) 

That being said, not all chicken is created equal.  Recent studies have shown that animals raised outdoors contain higher levels of vitamin D and pasture raised chickens have higher levels of vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and a better balance of Omega 6:3.  There are also studies that show chickens fed a diet of corn and soy contain a worse balance of Omega 6:3. 

Now, on to the recipe.  Full disclosure, there is really not much of a recipe at all; it’s incredibly easy and practically foolproof!   

Ingredients
- frame(s), bones, skin, connective tissues, feet
- vegetables (optional)
- seasoning (optional)
- water
Directions
Place desired ingredients in a slow cooker.  Cover with just enough water to cover all ingredients.  Cook on high for roughly 24 hours.  Strain ingredients from broth. 

When I make broth, I typically do not add vegetables or seasoning unless I am making the broth strictly for sipping, reason being that I prefer to season while I cook.  This is personal preference and once you’ve made bone broth a few times, you too will adopt your own personal preferences.

It’s easy to incorporate bone broth into your meals daily regardless of the weather outside.  Bone broth is delicious to sip plain, I often have to rein myself in after two or three mugs worth!  It can be used to boil noodles, boil/sauté vegetables, make sauces and gravies, and of course a base for soups and stews.  It can be used in lieu of water in recipes (think tacos, meatloaf, etc.) and it can even be used to make salad dressing and dips.  One of my favorite ways to use it is as a stock to cook other cuts of meat in, such as pork roast in the slow cooker; I simply keep frozen until I have a need for it. It’s extremely versatile!

Now, go forth and kick your cooking up a notch while reaping the benefits of nutrient dense bone broth. Enjoy!