Hey Ridgerunner, About that chicken broth...

[henless]

I make bone broth very similar to yours, waretrop. I use apple cider vinegar and cook mine for at least 1 day & up to 3 days. Depends on what type of bones I'm using. I've never canned mine. I just separate mine out into freezer containers, let it cool then pop into the freezer. I leave the fat layer on top and take it out when I use it. The fat layer helps to keep out other flavors from the freezer.

 

[Nyboy]

When you cook something for 3 days, how much does it cost for the energy ? Sounds like very expensive broth.

 

[waretrop]

You cook it on a very very low setting. Not sure how much it uses. I make such a vast volume it has to pay off.

 

[Nyboy]

Waretrop you use gas or electric ?

 

[waretrop]

I use propane gas. We pay $20 for a 40 pound tank. I watch my prices, even my lids for the jars we get wholesale by the case...I keep lots of cases around all the time...

So when I do my beef bone broth it is all free....One large cooler full of bones. As I say my chicken is 10 cents a pound. Oh and all my turkey carcasses come to me free from all my friends and neighbors.... LOL

My mushrooms are 49 cents a pint basket.

And don't forget the chickens even get a meal out of my broths that I make. They get my leftover junk from the broth. That is the onion, celery and carrots along the cooked out meat and bones...

Lemons and limes I pick up at outdoor markets for less than 10 cents a piece. Can the juice for ice tea and I even dehydrate the rind and make it a powder for lemon chicken. YUM.

I save food to be thrifty, to stock pile and to not have too many chemicals. Although I will be the first to grab Pringles or cookies for a quick snack....We can't be perfect all the time... LOL

 

[canesisters]

The way I see it, even if it works out to be a little more than 'fresh, organic, free-range, etc' from the store (which is unlikely) - it's still better tasting, more satisfying having been made-by-hand - and, with things being what they are, safer coming from your own land.

 

[majorcatfish]

The way I see it, even if it works out to be a little more than 'fresh, organic, free-range, etc' from the store (which is unlikely) - it's still better tasting, more satisfying having been made-by-hand - and, with things being what they are, safer coming from your own land.

agree with you you know what has been put into your soil ,what you used to protect the crops. everything coming out of the gardens is at the peak of their freshness.
who knows where that produce came from and how it's been handled from seedling to the shelves in the stores.

 

[bobm]

The way I ssee it, even if it works out to be a little more than 'fresh, organic, freelandrange, etc' from the store (which is unlikely) - it's still better tasting, more satisfying having been made-by-hand - and, with things being what they are, safer coming from your own land.

There are so many things that can go wrong on one's land that we just don't know or be aware about. You see anything can be blown in onto your land by the wind. What about a clout that drops a few raindrops onto you land that could carry contaminants ? What about draining storm water from lands uphill/ upgrade from yours even miles away ? What about bugs, birds, rats, mice, wildlife, dogs, cats, cattle, sheep, pigs, etc bringing pathogens onto your lands ? What about chemicals or pathogens hitching a ride on your car tires, clothes, shoes , etc. from you or your visitors from work, church, school, friends, hardware , feed stores, etc. properties ? So your own produced food is running very similar risks as any commercially produced food. We just can't know for sure.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yeah, you can just do the best you can. But at least you know you're doing the best you can. That's good enough for me.

Waretrop mentioned the chickens get the left-overs from her broth. My chickens get a lot of mine, but I've found that the residue after straining the broth makes a fabulous bait for my live traps. I freeze small bags of it and wrap it in a paper towel to toss in the back of the trap when I'm ready to use it. It's been very successful for rats, raccoons, possum, and skunks. I got a possum and a rat last night in my two traps.

 

[digitS']

Chicken and beef broth are important to me. I don't do any canning but there is frozen broth in the fridge to use just about all the time. I use it in stir-fries and soup.

The slow cooker is sometimes used but more often, I just simmer bones with veggies and herbs on top the stove. They are from cooked meat, like roast chicken or beef steak. I often put the bones back in the oven and cook them at a low setting until they are brown.

Then, they go in a pot with the water and chopped up veggies. After this comes to a boil, I turn it down to simmer for at least 90 minutes. That's it.

@Nyboy, most of this roasting and simmering is being done during the heating season. I recently checked on the local utility company's website and my house is considered an "energy efficient home." Hey!!! But, even if I was cooking raw beef shanks for 4 hours plus, I'd still be heating the house.

Steve
"Brother" ..? Broth! Dang spell checker!