Bone broth

Bone broth is very popular now – it is known for its healing properties, and slow cooked soup has long been a good convalescence food.  This can be used as a base for stews, soup, or simply drank in a cup on a regular basis.  The minerals from the bones strengthen our connective tissue.  Bone, skin, cartilage, digestive tract, blood, lymph – are all connective tissue, so will benefit from this food.

Any kind of bones will do. You can even use an assortment of different animals. You can purchase bones ready to cook, or you can collect bones from meals and store them in your freezer until you have enough to build a good stock. Make sure the bones, especially large bones, are cut into small pieces. This reduces cooking time and allows more material to become a part of the broth. Eat within 3 days, or freeze for later.

METHOD
Place bones into a large stock pot and cover with water.
Add two tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or wine to water prior to cooking. This helps to pull out important nutrients from the bones.  If you want to add some onion, garlic, carrot, celery or spices such as cloves or ginger, this will add flavour to the broth.
Fill stock pot with filtered water. Leave plenty of room for water to boil.
Heat slowly. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for at least 6 hours. Remove scum as it arises.
Cook long and slow. Chicken bones can cook for 6-48 hours. Beef bones can cook for 12-72 hours. A long and slow cook time is necessary in order to fully extract the nutrients in and around bone.
After cooking, the broth will cool and a layer of fat will harden on top. This layer protects the broth beneath. Discard this layer only when you are about to eat the broth.