How An Acupuncturist Makes Bone Broth!

Yesterday, I made chicken bone broth.  I drink bone broth to improve immune function, support the endocrine system, heal the digestive tract, increase blood cell count, and a source of dissolved minerals.  And there are many other health benefits to drinking bone broth, too!

While traditional Chinese medicine views each person as unique, bone broth is one thing that every person can include in their diet without harm.  It's not too much of an inconvenience to make at home and definitely worth the effort.  Making your own bone broth is one of the more affordable ways to remain healthy, especially since you can use kitchen scraps.

I take a whole roasted rotisserie chicken and remove the skin and meat from the bone.  Of course, a higher quality chicken will yield higher quality bone broth.  I put the bones and a few pieces of skin to a slow cooker and add leftover veggies like celery greens and ends, onion and garlic with skins, carrots, mushrooms, and green onions.  I also added some excellent herbs and spices such as ginger, turmeric, black pepper, and bay leaves.  I didn't have any on hand this time but star anise and cinnamon are also wonderful additions.

Then I cover with water and set the slow cooker for 24 hrs.  After about 24 hours, I pick out the larger veggies and bones, then drain the broth through a colander into a glass container and store in the fridge.  It's that simple!

This morning, I had a cup with whisked eggs (a modified eggdrop soup), a large handful of spinach, and some avocado. Bone broth is also fantastic for soup bases, braising veggies, or sipping by itself.

Notes For Cooking

• Can use any type of bone: ribs, pork chops, fish with heads, etc
  
• Bigger bones (cow, pig, sheep) contain more marrow
  
• Smaller bones or small amount of connective tissue will yield little broth
  
• Avoid adding starchy or cruciferous veggies
  
• Wait until end to add salt to taste
  
• Skim any froth that comes to the surface.
  

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