Fall for Nourishing Bone Broth

As the days shorten and the weather cools, we will look for ways to continue strengthening immunity and invigorating our physical bodies. Bone broth is an excellent way to do so. 

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From a Chinese medicine point of view, bone broth builds the most essential component of the body, the Kidney essence, along with the qi, blood, bones, and tendons. Thus, bone broth is an especially useful staple during the cooler months. When you consume bone broth, you are nourishing your Kidney Yin and Yang directly. We call this 'strengthening the root' in Chinese Medicine because the Kidneys are the root of all Yin and Yang in the body. Here are some interesting tidbits about bone broth I have picked up along the way:

• The bones of our body relate to the kidneys; consuming bone broth supports the bones (and teeth) and also the kidneys by virtue of this correspondence.

• Bone broth directly supports adrenal function, providing the glands with nutritional support.

• Its great nourishment if recovering from injury, illness, surgery, or childbirth, and excellent for those with chronic joint pain, back pain, or generally diminished health function.

• The nutrients in bone broth are easily absorbed and help to build strong hair, nails, bones, cartilage, tendons, and all of the connective tissue in the body, and gastrointestinal tract, and also provide the foundation for a strong immune system. It helps build healthy vital constitutions and repair cellular damage, including the cells of the intestinal lining that are damaged in leaky gut.

• Fats in the bone broth help mineral absorption so you want to leave some behind when you clear the fat from the strained broth.

• Bone broth is packed with marrow constituents; marrow is the factory complex of the bone where the body manufactures red and white blood cells. eating it nourishes the bone marrow in your own body, which helps create healthy blood in your system.

If colds are going around or if you feel run down, make the following recipe and eat it for two or three days in a row. Increases resistance and builds immunity:

Herbed Bone Broth
4 lbs. roasted chicken necks, backs, feet, or 2 roasted chicken carcasses
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
1 yellow onion, quartered
3 large cloves of garlic
12 cups water (3 quarts)
3-4 Tblsp Apple cider vinegar
2 grams Kombu (one large strip)
6 slices ginger
 
20 g (about 2 Tblsp) Fo Ti/He Shou Wu
16 g (small handful) Chinese yam/Shan Yao
20 g (about 3 Tblsp) Goji berry
10 g (small handful) Astragalus/Huang Qi
15 g (large handful) Reishi mushroom/Ling Zhi
 
1. Roast chicken bones/pieces on 400 to enrich the flavor of the broth, until they are browned. (optional)
2. Add bones and any juices from the roasting pan to a large crockpot with celery, onion, water, apple cider vinegar, and kombu. Turn the crockpot on low and bring to a simmer. You don’t want the broth to boil, but a gentle simmer is fine.
3. Simmer for a minimum of 20 hours, then add the herbs and simmer for an additional 4 hours.
4. Strain everything from the broth and discard the solids.
 
Sip the broth as it is, or use it to cook grains and stews. I usually let it cool on the counter for a bit then chill in the fridge. To remove the fat, let the broth cool then you can skim the fat solids from the top. Leave a little, the fat helps your body absorb minerals!
 
Nourishes yin, yang, qi and blood. Calming and settling to the spirit. Builds immunity and adaptability.
 
Bone Broth Tips and Lessons

• Can use any type of animal bone; just use ORGANIC and free range, Pastured is best if you can. Some find poultry more palatable, and beef too rich.

• Keep a container in the freezer of meat scraps and bones from the table instead of throwing them away. When you have enough, make bone broth!

• Drinking Chinese tonic herbs that have been cooked in the soup will promote the absorption of the herbs.

• The apple cider vinegar helps extract minerals, collagen, and amino acids.

• This recipe is totally flexible! Change the veggies, use veggie scraps (store in the freezer), you don’t have to weigh your scraps. For cooking with the herbs, you want approximately this much water – it’s for a large pot – but otherwise, it won’t make a difference! Just cover whatever is in the pot with at least two inches of water.

• Can be flexible on time of cooking; some folks will start a pot at the beginning of the week with a chicken carcass and continue to add meat scraps and water while it stays warm and use it throughout the week.

• Use a fine mesh sieve or a coffee filter (pour-over) to strain

• Freeze some broth in ice cube trays and use individual cubes to boost the flavor and nutrition of any recipe.

• Can use it in any recipe that asks for broth, stock or even water: gravys, soups, grains, beans and congee, braising vegetables