One of the most important things one can make in their kitchen is homemade bone stock. (and the smell is outstanding) The taste is out of this world, much deeper and more complex than a boxed stock or broth and far more nutritious! Any time you have a chicken or turkey carcass, beef bones or ham/pork bones you can make a stock and freeze it for later if you don’t have a use for it right away. (it will keep frozen for 6 months, fat and all) I like to freeze it flat, its easier to store and thaw. You can even take it out while its ‘slushy’ take some chopsticks and score it so you can break off pieces for other dishes that you would normally use bouillon for. This one I am making for chicken and dumplings! *pause to drool* You can also put it in a bowl in the refrigerator over night. The next day take it out and scrape the fat off the top. What you have left is a perfect consomme, which you can drink just as or add to recipes.

Homemade bone stock is high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and are easily absorbed by the body because it is food sourced. It is also surprisingly high in glucosamine and chondrioton. Lastly it is high in gelatin and collagen, which are good for everything from joints to skin elasticity.

There is, of coarse, money savings here as well. Aside from a homemade bone stock being healthier than the boxed kind, but its WAY cheaper! You can make it from bones and vegetable scraps you were already going to throw out. Or use veggies that were getting a bit limp like I did here. They are perfectly good vegetables, but not palatable just as a side. A homemade bone stock can cost you pennies compared to a box of organic stock at about 4 bucks. (or the mainstream stuff at 2 bucks)

For your average stock, I use all of the bones. For chicken I’ll include legs, wings, or even extra meat if I know it won’t be used. I also rough chop carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. I always add salt and pepper (pink salt and cracked pepper for me) and my favorite herbs I’d use for that kind of meat. I like to boil it in a heavy bottomed stock pot (a dutch oven or large pot with lid will do) and keep it covered so you can reduce it slowly. This will develop the flavors longer and give you a deeper taste. I like to take mine to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let it go for several hours. Taste after a while for salt and to test the concentration of flavor and stop when its perfect for you!

Bone stock is liquid heath!