Simple and Frugal Bone Broth Recipe

We all know that bone broth has a long list of amazing benefits, but, it can be pretty pricey when you buy it at a health food store. Since I try to make everything from scratch, after a few months of trial and error I found an efficient, super simple and frugal way to make it that I want to share with my fellow health-conscious cooks.

Whenever I buy organic meat, I save the bones (cartilage and all) in my freezer. I also save the odd ends of any greens that I cook throughout the weeks; parts like broccoli stalks and celery stems, the tops of carrots, the greens from strawberries, can all be washed, frozen and then used.

Once I have accumulated enough, I dump all the bones into my slow cooker and fill it to the top with water. I set it for 24hrs on Low and leave it alone. Once the 24hrs are up, I add the greens and continue cooking for another hour or so.

Certain recipes recommend adding onion and specific veggies, but I don't like the onion taste in my broth and it's much easier to just use whatever veggies you have on hand (or in my case in the freezer).

Some recipes also call for apple cider vinegar claiming it will assist in extracting the minerals from the bones, however I also found info from experts who did the research and found that ACV had absolutely no effect. Here's a quote from www.legourmet.tv:

Every 'Health Guru' says to add vinegar because it will leach the minerals from the bones... Le Gourmet TV calls B*llsh*t on that. We consulted food scientists, and chemists (real ones with letters like PhD after their names) who all said the same thing: The acid in household vinegar is too weak to release anything from the bones, even at full strength. The long cooking process will release more nutrients than the vinegar ever will. So add it if you like the flavour, otherwise don't.

So here is my super simple recipe:

Simple Bone Broth

Ingredients

• 1-2 pounds of organic bones

• frozen veggie leftovers (see above)

• Water
  

Instructions

1. Dump all the bones into a slow cooker

1. Fill slow cooker to the top with water

1. Set on Low for 24hrs

1. After 24hrs add your veggies

1. Cook on High for another 30-60mins

1. Strain into a container

Stores in the fridge for up to 1 week, if you need it to last longer you can freeze it.