Immune-boosting Bone Broth
Fall is here! Winter is coming... #GOT anyone?
Here in the Seattle area it's starting to cool off. Mornings are colder and you can feel the season turning. In our house, this means bone broth is being brewed on the regular. One of my favorite things about getting up in the morning is grabbing a cup of warm broth from the slow-cooker. That warm, soothing broth just feels SO nourishing!
In a previous post for my Gut-Healing Golden Milk, I wrote about the gut-healing benefits of gelatin. Gelatin is extracted from the cartilage/collagen of animal bones in the broth-making process. The best way to know if you've made a gelatin-rich broth is to put it in the refrigerator and if it gelatinizes, it's gold.
This is what I mean by gold
A slow-brewed bone broth can be so nutrient-dense because you can put anything and everything in it! Save all of your kitchen scraps because you will get some great use out of them in this broth. When I say kitchen scraps that can be any of the following: kale/chard/collard stems, mushroom stems, carrot tops or peels, onion ends, celery ends, lemon peels, broccoli/cauliflower cores, etc. Get creative! Keep a bag of veggie scraps in the freezer and after using the rest of the vegetable, just throw your scraps in the bag. This is a great way to utilize the nutrients from foods you're already purchasing for further benefit.
Adding eggshells and bones to your broth provides an amazing source of calcium and other bone-building minerals. Using apple cider vinegar is essential to create an acidic environment for those minerals to seep out of those foods and into the broth. This is important for those who avoid dairy products since it's a bit trickier to get enough calcium (though, not impossible!).
To my broth, I add some other unique ingredients not found in "typical" broths and are great for immune and thyroid support.
- Seaweed (usually kombu or hijiki)
- Astragalus
- Reishi mushroom
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Parsley
Let's review some of the primary body systems this broth can benefit:
- Gelatin: GI tract, skin, hair, and nails, sleep
- Egg shells and bones: bone health (you are what you eat!)
- Veggie scraps: heart, brain, eyes, immune, detoxification, blood pressure
- Mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and astragalus: immune
- Seaweed: thyroid
- Parsley: detoxification, blood pressure
- Kale: blood, bones, detoxification, heart, brain
So there you have it. A broth that supports almost all the systems! Please share this with your friends and followers if you think they'd like to give this a try.
Immune-Boosting Bone Broth
Yield: About 4 quarts
Preparation time: 5 minutes + 24-36 hours brew time
Equipment: Crockpot or large stockpot
Ingredients
- 1-2 pounds of chicken, lamb, or beef bones (pastured or grass-fed preferred)
- 1 onion, casually chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 leaves kale, chopped
- 1 cup seaweed (Kombu or hijiki)
- 5 "tongue depressors" of astragalus
- 1 inch knob fresh ginger
- 5 whole garlic cloves
- 1 bunch parsley (including the ends)
- 2 handfuls of vegetable scraps
- Crushed eggshells (whatever you have on hand)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 4 quarts water (or fill up your pot)
Preparation
- Add all the ingredients to your slow-cooker or stockpot.
- Heat on low for 24 hours and keep warm.
- Strain to drink or use.
- You have a few options once it is ready:
- You may choose to "keep warm" until you are finished consuming it.
- Use it as a base for soups and stews.
- Store in jars and refrigerate.
- Freeze as ice blocks to use later.
Original recipe by Anisa Woodall
