Life Giving Broth
Serves: 4
Ingredients
5 lb. of organic chicken backs, necks and/or wings or other poultry, game or non-oily fish
1-2 organic carrots
2 stalks of organic celery
1- 2 large organic onions, intact
1 clove of organic garlic, intact
10 organic peppercorns
1 handful of organic parsley
1 organic bay leaf
2 T raw organic apple cider vinegar
Directions
1. Fill large stockpot 2/3 full of purified water and bring to almost a boil. This should be about 10-12 cups of water but could vary on the size of the stockpot.
2. Add all ingredients except vinegar and bring to a simmering boil for two minutes. Err on using more ingredients depending on the size of your pot (a “lobster pot” is very large, a typical stock pot holds somewhat less water). Simmer and add vinegar. Remove scum as it occurs.
3. Simmer for a few hours or several hours. Drain ingredients through a fine sieve and discard.** Add sea salt to taste. You can keep a layer of fat on top for the portions that you freeze.
* If you can find chicken feet use them too – they are full of gelatin - which aids digestion and assimilation of cooked foods (p. 49, Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon).
**You can pick the meat off the bones and add back into the broth for a soup and also save the onion and garlic for pureeing with other vegetables. I keep the fat in the fridge as a safe way to sauté vegetables and add full-bodied flavor and nutrition to mashed potatoes that I often make without dairy.
Notes:
• You can refrigerate broth for up to three days and freeze up to four months. Be sure to date your container so you know when it will expire.
• I always buy extra chicken parts and keep them in separate five lb bags in the freezer. This works great when I know I am going to be home all day and want it simmering on the stove in time for dinner.
“Why is chicken soup superior to all the things we have, even more relaxing than ‘Tylenol’? It is because chicken soup has a natural ingredient which feeds, repairs and calms the mucous lining in the small intestine. This inner lining is the beginning or ending of the nervous system. It is easily pulled away from the intestine through too many laxatives, too many food additives… and parasites. Chicken soup…heals the nerves, improves digestion, reduces allergies, relaxes and gives strength.”
– Hanna Kroeger, Ageless Remedies from Mother’s Kitchen