Making bone broth, what should I put into the pot?

Vicky M.

While good hygiene and avoiding large gatherings are good advice, taking responsibility for one’s own health is empowering! Please share what herbals or suggestions you have for keeping you and your extended family healthy during this virus season.

One of my first actions, make 2 gallons of nourishing and immune building bone broth that I will pressure can. Slow cooked over several days this broth includes chicken bones (froze the chicken meat), garlic, lots of onions (including skins), carrots, celery & Reishi mushrooms. This with heaping handfuls of antioxidant antiviral antibacterial warming herbs: Astragalus, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, & Parsley.

Since this virus is here to stay, I figure I’ll be getting it sooner or later and wanted a good bone broth to have on hand for nourishing the immune system now &/or during the illness & convalescing.

Ps. The broth is still simmer on the stove as of this post, so if there is anything I’ve left out please share what you think I should add.

DebiB

@Vicky Morris your bone broth sounds good! The list of ingredients sound fine to me, the only thing I might add is some greens like kale or spinach.

Jens the Beekeeper

I would always add leeks. Otherwise quite the same ingredients like mine. 😁😉

Torey

Sounds like we are all on the same page! Mine always starts the same and winds up with whatever else I have in the fridge. Or if it is fall, whatever I have in the garden. Peppers. Parsnips and/or turnips. Cabbage. You could add some other mushrooms. Turkey Tail or Shitake. I like a bit of heat in mine so I always add some dried cayenne or chilli peppers. A good size chunk of ginger and some black peppercorns. A little bit of ACV helps leach all those minerals out of the bones.

spowell07

Sounds amazing but next time try adding 2 TBSP of ACV (apple cider vinegar) you’ll be so happy you did.

chimboodle04

Sounds very much like what I do as well :) Just stocked up on some bones to do this with in the next day or so - the farmer who we usually buy our grassfed beef and chicken off of was having a half off sale on stock bones for just this reason!

OhiohillsLouise

@torey I’m with you, I have the basic stuff then throw in what happens to be available, this week the extra ingredient is spinach.

Vicky M.

Thank you all for the wonderful additions you have suggested. In response to DebiB suggestion for greens I’ve added Nettles and more fresh herbs from the garden, scraps ends from the asparagus we had last night, a few seedling yellow dock leaves & roots from the garden. Wow, how could I forget cayenne peppers thank you torey. Lastly, a few tablespoons of my dandelion ACV was added in response to many who suggested this.  

DebiB

@Vicky Morris nettles is a fantastic addition! Along with all the other wonderful suggestions people have come up with. Maybe I need to defrost that chicken in my freezer and get some bone broth started!

Momma Mo

You will be glad you added the ACV. It really does leach the minerals out of the bones. Bone broth is wonderful!

Merin Porter

https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/comment/855416#Comment_855416

Oooo, I've never thought to do this, but will have to try it! Thanks for the tip!

spowell07

You’re very welcome. Hope you enjoy 😊

Torey

I thought this was an interesting study on the benefits of chicken soup:

Researchers from the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Section of the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska initiated a study to evaluate the possibility that chicken soup may be a factor in attentuating the inflammatory response associated with colds. The results of the study demonstrate that chicken soup inhibits neutrophil migration to standard stimuli. The inhibitory effect was observed clearly at concentrations without cytotoxicity. Dr. Rennard said: "A variety of soup preparations was evaluated and found to be variably, but generally, able to inhibit neutrophil chemotaxis. The current study, therefore, presents evidence that chicken soup might have an anti-inflammatory activity, namely the inhibition of neutrophil migration." The recipes used contained chicken, assorted vegetables, parsley, salt and pepper.

However, usually when we make chicken soup at home, it has other herbs in it, such as thyme, sage, rosemary, etc. that have beneficial effects on our various systems (respiratory, digestive, circulatory, etc.). So the herbal content adds to the anti-inflammatory response of the chicken soup.