Your Thanksgiving meal is consumed and you’ve waddled into the next room, waistband tight, ready for the customary food coma that accompanies the big game on tv. A sure sign of a successful meal! When it’s time to rally back into the kitchen for cleanup, and the inevitable collage of leftover containers, don’t throw away that turkey carcass! Use it to make nutritious bone broth.
BONE BROTH IS GOOD FOR EVERYTHING THAT AILS YOU
Bone broth is something your grandmother (at least your great-grandmother) made religiously. It was used to treat every kind of sickness as well as a base (stock) for adding vegetables and grains to make soups and stews. Simmering the bones leaches out beneficial nutrients like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus – all playing an important role in counteracting depression and anxiety!
Bone broth is making a comeback, now even being served in trendy New York sidewalk cafés. Bone broth is cheap and easy to make at home. Thanksgiving is a perfect time to try it since we have all those leftover turkey bones!
HOW TO MAKE IT
Place your turkey bones in a large stock pot. Cover the bones with water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and cook at a low simmer for 12 to 24 hours. Salt and pepper to taste.
Seriously, it is that easy.
If you want to get a little fancier about it, you can add onions and garlic, celery, carrots, parsley and other herbs. I usually just add some onions, garlic, and parsley as it is easy and makes a very versatile stock for adding other things to later.
To remove the bones from the broth, place a colander over a large bowl. After letting your broth cool in the stock pot, pour the broth into the colander. The bones will remain in the colander and you will have a bowl full of healthy broth.
HOW TO STORE IT
Your broth will keep in the refrigerator in a covered bowl or in jars for up to a week. This makes an excellent base for Thanksgiving leftover soup. For longer storage, I pour my broth into ice cube trays and freeze. After they are frozen, I pop them into freezer containers and back into the freezer. This is perfect for recipes that call for small amounts of stock. Each of my frozen stock cubes are 1/8 cup, so it is easy to figure ¼ cup or ½ cup measurements in recipes. It is also super easy to take a few out at a time to heat for sipping on chilly winter days.
I didn’t realize how simple and nutritious this is. A new must in our home. Many of our grandmothers aren’t teaching us these things anymore. Thanks for being everyone’s great grandma… hahaha
Eating healthy is simpler than a lot of people realize! It’s good to be a part of educating people about this. So glad you are learning and enjoying!