RECIPE: Home Canned Bone Broth (AKA Stock)

Coincidentally, I started on this large batch of broth on the eve of Earth Day, a time when there is quite a lot of discussion about food waste and sustainable agriculture. Here's a great way to cut down on waste, and get delicious soup stock in the process!

Let me start by saying there are exact recipes to follow out there on the internet for bone broth. This is not one of those! Over the winter, I collected up scraps from roasted birds and chopped veggies in gallon freezer bags and threw them in the chest freezer until I got enough to fill a 23 qt pot...

There is quite a bit of information out there online concerning the health benefits of bone broth. It makes an excellent medicinal base for soups during cold and flu season, and it's delicious! Making your own is definitely worth the effort!

Ingredients

3 gallon freezer bags of misc. poultry or beef bones
1 gallon freezer bag carrot, celery and onion scraps *

8 cloves Garlic

1 tsp. Thyme

1 tsp. Rosemary

1 tsp. Basil

1/8 tsp. Cayenne

Salt and Pepper to taste

* I used carrot peelings and tops, celery leaves and root ends, onion tops and bottoms. Onion portion should be equal to no more than one medium onion.

Put bones, veggies and garlic in a large stock pot. Pour enough water into the stock pot to just cover the bones and vegetable scraps. Bring bones to a boil. Turn heat down til the pot is just at a simmer, and continue to simmer for 12 hours. Add herbs and spices and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Let the broth cool til able to be safely handled and strain broth using a fine mesh strainer or colander to remove bones and vegetable scraps. Some tiny bits of meat and herbs may not be strained out, that's fine. You may want to let it cool enough to remove solidified fats from the surface if you are using beef bones.

Reheat the broth just to a boil, and fill sterilized canning jars leaving 1" head space. Process the jars of broth at 11 pounds of pressure for 20 minutes for pints, and 25 minutes for quarts. A 3/4 full 23 qt stock pot of bones and veggie scraps made 9 quarts of broth.

HERBAL MEDICINE: Cayenne Soreness Oil

This past weekend, we went to Cedar Point. It was my first trip back since I was about 15 years old. It certainly looked much different than I remember, but even more so, was the difference in the soreness the next day! Here's a simple little home remedy  alternative to Tylenol or Ibuprofen for those sore shins, calves and ankles!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil OR Coconut Oil

1 Tbsp. Cayenne Powder

Mix cayenne powder into carrier oil thoroughly til a paste is formed. Rub cayenne oil into sore muscles and joints. Takes roughly 10 - 15 minutes to activate. You will notice a warming/tingling sensation. Re-apply when necessary. 

*Wear gloves or wash hands immediately after application, avoid touching eyes. 

*DO NOT USE on areas with open wounds.

*Cayenne may stain fabrics, apply carefully!

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES:

CAYENNE: External and internal pain reliever, analgesic, antibacterial, rubefacient. Cayenne's high concentration of salicylates (Capsaicin) is believed to decrease the concentration of the chemical "Substance P" used by nerve cells to transmit pain signals. Improves circulation, dialating capillaries by both topical and internal doseages.

Can also be used long-term to treat arthritis and fibromyalgia pain. The effectiveness of increases over time.

***All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions.

BOOKSHELF: The Dehydrator Bible

There's a lot more to do with a dehydrator than dry herbs and make jerky! Preserve your harvest economically and create your own dry mix meals with the simple and hearty recipes contained in this tome of dehydrating knowledge!

Click to view/purchase book on Amazon.com

THE DEHYDRATOR BIBLE: Includes Over 400 Recipes

By Jennifer MacKenzie, Jay Nutt and Don Mercer

Although dehydration is an ages old method of food preservation, it's become a lost art for the most part with modern technology like refrigerators and freezers. But, what if we want to preserve more than will fit in our electric units, or we are travelling and won't have any access to electricity? This book will give you all the answers!

The book opens with a discussion concerning the history and advantages of  dry food preservation, the basic equipment you will need to get started, drying techniques, and storage of your products.

Perhaps the most important portion of the book comes next, where you will find a detailed manual as to how to properly dry each individual herb, vegetable and fruit, as well as different types of meat. Proper drying method and time is essential in creating a viable final product that will store and reconstitute well. I've referred to this section of the book several times since I've had it.

The book goes on to offer recipes for everyday meals, various types of jerky, portable dry mix camp meals, and other crafts and gifts like dried flowers. You can even use the dehydrator to make pet treats! It's actually quite convenient to use dehydrated vegetables in place of frozen in soups and stews. We store them in the pantry in glass jars, rather than taking up valuable freezer space, and there is no "freezer burn" to be concerned with for long-term storage!

I found the dry mix trail meals to be of particular interest. They can be mixed and carried in a backpack in ziplock baggies, or put together ahead of time and stored in mylar bags or mason jars with oxygen absorbers. Just add boiling water, and you're ready to eat!

BOTTOM LINE: 5 of 5 Stars. From beginner to expert, this book has a little something for everyone. It's an invaluable go-to reference book! Highly recommended for anyone interested in using dehydration for food preservation.

DIY HD TV Antenna

Like droves of others, we recently cancelled our subscription TV services. While many are opting for Netflix, Hulu+, and other on-demand streaming services, they're not an option for folks living in rural areas on satellite internet services with restrictive download limits. We didn't want to invest hundreds of dollars on an antenna to simply watch the news, either... 

Brian searched around the internet, and using commonly found materials, built this DIY antenna which receives network signals from both Toledo and Detroit! Our satellite provider had only aired Toledo stations. This obscure looking creation picks up 15 different analog and digital HD channels with excellent sound and picture clarity!

MATERIALS:

2x4" board

4 metal coathangers

12 washers

12 wood screws

DIRECTIONS:

The instructional video Brian used can be found here:

How to Build an HDTV Digital Antenna

He added the washers himself for stability and 2 extra receivers.

The antenna can be directly connected to the TV indoors, but our aluminum siding interfered with signal reception. Brian ended up taking it outside and hooking it up using the previously installed satellite cable! It's admittedly not the most attractive looking device, and fortunately, hiding it in a bush doesn't seem to affect it's signal strength!

By doing away with satellite TV service and installing this simple device built from scrap materials, we're now saving $79 per month we paid for "Extended Basic" service!