Fall is great, I love fall! The leaves change to pretty colors, and pumpkin spice everything is everywhere.
Fall is also when the temperatures change and stress usually increases due to midterms, which means potentially getting sick. While you can take preventative measures, like washing your hands, hydrating, and taking some medication, you can also fight cold season by drinking bone broth!
What is bone broth?
Bone broth is similar to stocks and broth, in that it’s a mixture of animal bones, water, and vegetables. It’s different from those in that it’s simmered for 18-24+ hours to release the nutrient rich gelatin/collagen from joints and minerals from the bones. Those minerals include, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, which you can buy in pill form, but why not get those necessary nutrients in a cheaper, more delicious way? Broth based soups have also been shown to reduce neutrophil chemotaxis. Neutrophils are part of the immune system, and chemotaxis refers to the way that the move toward an area of the body that requires their help in response to chemical signals. So basically, drinking broth decreases your body’s inflammatory response to an illness! Bone broth is super easy to make, store, and delicious warmed up in a mug or soup!
Okay, I’m sold. How do I make it?
The basic recipe is that there is no recipe, just throw some bones, veggies, herbs, and salt in a slow cooker/pot for 24 hours on low heat and let it go! But if you’re like me and you need a recipe to follow, here’s what I do when I make a batch of it!
Healing Slow Cooker Bone Broth:
-3 lbs of bones (chicken, beef, turkey, pork, or a mix)
-2 carrots, roughly chopped
-3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
-1 onion, chopped into quarters
-1 Tb Apple cider vinegar
-2 bay leaves
-a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary
-1 Tb sea salt
-enough water to cover it all
- Throw everything into the slow cooker.
- Put the slow cooker on low heat and let it go for at least 18 hours, preferably around 24.
- Strain the liquid from the vegetables and store in the fridge for about a week or keep in the freezer for later!
*Note: Since the bones have lots of gelatin in them, once you put it in the fridge, it’ll probably take on a Jell-O like consistency. Worry not! Just scoop it into a mug or pour it into whatever soup you’re making. Once warm, it’ll return to liquid.
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