So you've purchased a Quarter, and you got your post card on how to cook all the "normal" parts of the animal, what about all the REST of the parts???
At Vibrant Farms we are all about sustainability and part of that is using the whole animal. We are also about HEALTH! Often times so many great nutrients get tossed out because we just don't know how to utilize it all!!!
Here are a few great book ideas to help with utilizing the whole animal:
At Vibrant Farms we are all about sustainability and part of that is using the whole animal. We are also about HEALTH! Often times so many great nutrients get tossed out because we just don't know how to utilize it all!!!
Here are a few great book ideas to help with utilizing the whole animal:
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The Dirty Life is a story about a woman who comes from the city and learns to live the farm life and EAT from the farm! It will blow your mind.
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Nourishing Traditions
This is the all time best book for utilizing the whole animal and cooking for health. |
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Odd Bits
Showcasing how to use the parts less desired parts of the animal and eat for less! (but probably get more nutrients!) |
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If you want to know how to preserve your meats - that doesn't involve a freezer or - how to tackle the infamous... blood sausage! Professional Charcuterie Series is a wealth of knowledge.
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A little snippet from The Farmer's Daughter Cookbook about Bones:
During my time of retiring from rugby, and graduating university I had developed some serious health issues. Ranging from depression, digestive issues (mostly malabsorption), tooth decay and many bone and joint issues as well as Candida. It was when I was the worst that I decided to undergo an 8-month candida diet where I could only eat meat and vegetables! I couldn't even eat vinegar! During this time bone broth was my savour, it helped to heal my digestive tract and it helped to get more nutrients into my body easily without having to rely on the compromised digestive process. I started to feel better and my teeth started to come around. Maybe this explains why soup is still to this day one of my most favourite meals to eat or cook. I find there are so many creative options, how you can change one soup with a simple adjustment and all of a sudden you have an entirely different flavour to enjoy!
Here are my tips for making the best bone broth with ingredients I find readily available. Obviously if you CAN find chicken feet or various more obscure parts of the animal or have a friend who butchers for themselves, those are ideal. In Ontario we have very strict guidelines and regulations surrounding meat that is sold to the public.
Beef Broth
Can be used for soup, can be used for stir fry bases, can be used for curry bases and even added to mashed potatoes for flavour. It can also be used for gravy! Remember the best broth will come from grass fed organic cows because they have built up mineral stores in their bone marrow. As I always say your bone marrow is your bank account!
Use some shank bones (long and skinny) or knuckle bones, oxtail and those packages marked "soup bones" (soup bones will have more meat on them if you want to make a soup that includes meat.) If you just want a clear broth stick to straight bones. Tendons and suet (tallow/fat) is also an awesome thing to add. That is where all the nutrients is also found. It is also where toxins are found in animals not fed healthy clean diets, which is just one more reason to stick to grass fed and organic.
Add plenty of water, the more water you add the more it will be watered down. If you want to make it stretch further you can always add water later to your more concentrated stock.
General rule of thumb I stick to 16 cups of water to 2-3 pretty large bones.
Add your garlic, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and fresh herbs.
You can add any other vegetables too, this may change the flavour a bit as well as the colour, but feel free to play around.
Something I think we often forget is to USE THE WHOLE vegetable! Throw in those carrot tops, throw in the onion skins and the celery ends… the broth doesn't discriminate. You can either throw those odd bits into the compost for the nutrients for the soil or you can take the opportunity to use those nutrients first before it makes it back to the soil.
Make sure you add a quarter cup of raw apple cider vinegar, this works to pull out all the nutrients in the bone!
Sea salt or coarse salt is a really good addition, this will not only add flavour but also nutrients!
When all this is combined, you can leave it simmering for 24-72 hours. When you go for the longer times make sure you have plenty of water and that there is a lid on the pot because I’ve also boiled all the water off and burned the crap out of some pots! Best to use a crock pot if you aren't sure. I've done bone broth on both stovetop in a stockpot and in a crock pot as well as in the oven-roasting pan. I prefer the oven roasting pan flavour. Do whatever you feel comfortable with.
When finished, strain everything out. You'll find the vegetables are flavourless, because all that flavour is gone into your bone broth! Flavour also = nutrients.
You can bottle the broth, I prefer it in smaller amounts unless you use it in larger amounts because it’s easier to thaw out and use for 1 recipe versus having to refreeze it. It’s not harmful to refreeze, just more work.
If you can use containers that are BPA free that’s best.
Chicken Broth
This is the most versatile broth, I find. Its flavour is milder and blends easiest with most everything. The same process applies as with the beef. The only thing I would add is sometimes when I am feeling my utmost laziest I put the whole bird in, I only do 10-12 hours and then at the end I have cooked chicken and bone broth (while the broth may be not as strong). You can use the bones again and do the longer process with them. There will be nutrients left in them.
Make sure you add all the vegetables and the herbs and any spices you may like. Or wait till when you are using the broth to add the specific spices like curry or such things that would alter the flavour dramatically.
Make sure to filter really good - there are some really little bones that are sometimes harmful if you chew on them.
Many cultures actually suck out the marrow from the bone after the chicken is traditionally roasted (only a couple hours and with no liquid) as there is lots of nutrients left in them.
Apple cider vinegar is key to this process as well.
Ratio - 1/4 cup to every 4 quarts of water.
During my time of retiring from rugby, and graduating university I had developed some serious health issues. Ranging from depression, digestive issues (mostly malabsorption), tooth decay and many bone and joint issues as well as Candida. It was when I was the worst that I decided to undergo an 8-month candida diet where I could only eat meat and vegetables! I couldn't even eat vinegar! During this time bone broth was my savour, it helped to heal my digestive tract and it helped to get more nutrients into my body easily without having to rely on the compromised digestive process. I started to feel better and my teeth started to come around. Maybe this explains why soup is still to this day one of my most favourite meals to eat or cook. I find there are so many creative options, how you can change one soup with a simple adjustment and all of a sudden you have an entirely different flavour to enjoy!
Here are my tips for making the best bone broth with ingredients I find readily available. Obviously if you CAN find chicken feet or various more obscure parts of the animal or have a friend who butchers for themselves, those are ideal. In Ontario we have very strict guidelines and regulations surrounding meat that is sold to the public.
Beef Broth
Can be used for soup, can be used for stir fry bases, can be used for curry bases and even added to mashed potatoes for flavour. It can also be used for gravy! Remember the best broth will come from grass fed organic cows because they have built up mineral stores in their bone marrow. As I always say your bone marrow is your bank account!
Use some shank bones (long and skinny) or knuckle bones, oxtail and those packages marked "soup bones" (soup bones will have more meat on them if you want to make a soup that includes meat.) If you just want a clear broth stick to straight bones. Tendons and suet (tallow/fat) is also an awesome thing to add. That is where all the nutrients is also found. It is also where toxins are found in animals not fed healthy clean diets, which is just one more reason to stick to grass fed and organic.
Add plenty of water, the more water you add the more it will be watered down. If you want to make it stretch further you can always add water later to your more concentrated stock.
General rule of thumb I stick to 16 cups of water to 2-3 pretty large bones.
Add your garlic, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and fresh herbs.
You can add any other vegetables too, this may change the flavour a bit as well as the colour, but feel free to play around.
Something I think we often forget is to USE THE WHOLE vegetable! Throw in those carrot tops, throw in the onion skins and the celery ends… the broth doesn't discriminate. You can either throw those odd bits into the compost for the nutrients for the soil or you can take the opportunity to use those nutrients first before it makes it back to the soil.
Make sure you add a quarter cup of raw apple cider vinegar, this works to pull out all the nutrients in the bone!
Sea salt or coarse salt is a really good addition, this will not only add flavour but also nutrients!
When all this is combined, you can leave it simmering for 24-72 hours. When you go for the longer times make sure you have plenty of water and that there is a lid on the pot because I’ve also boiled all the water off and burned the crap out of some pots! Best to use a crock pot if you aren't sure. I've done bone broth on both stovetop in a stockpot and in a crock pot as well as in the oven-roasting pan. I prefer the oven roasting pan flavour. Do whatever you feel comfortable with.
When finished, strain everything out. You'll find the vegetables are flavourless, because all that flavour is gone into your bone broth! Flavour also = nutrients.
You can bottle the broth, I prefer it in smaller amounts unless you use it in larger amounts because it’s easier to thaw out and use for 1 recipe versus having to refreeze it. It’s not harmful to refreeze, just more work.
If you can use containers that are BPA free that’s best.
Chicken Broth
This is the most versatile broth, I find. Its flavour is milder and blends easiest with most everything. The same process applies as with the beef. The only thing I would add is sometimes when I am feeling my utmost laziest I put the whole bird in, I only do 10-12 hours and then at the end I have cooked chicken and bone broth (while the broth may be not as strong). You can use the bones again and do the longer process with them. There will be nutrients left in them.
Make sure you add all the vegetables and the herbs and any spices you may like. Or wait till when you are using the broth to add the specific spices like curry or such things that would alter the flavour dramatically.
Make sure to filter really good - there are some really little bones that are sometimes harmful if you chew on them.
Many cultures actually suck out the marrow from the bone after the chicken is traditionally roasted (only a couple hours and with no liquid) as there is lots of nutrients left in them.
Apple cider vinegar is key to this process as well.
Ratio - 1/4 cup to every 4 quarts of water.
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Be sure to sign up for The Farmer's Daughter cook book...
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