Homemade Chicken Stock

(excerpts from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon)

Here we’re going to make Chicken Stock, but the recipe is the same for beef, and even simpler for vegetable. (For beef stock, you can braise first, then soak. For vegetable, add way more veggies, and simmer for 4-6 hours)

Why make homemade stock?

There are actually many great reasons to make your own chicken, beef, veggie and fish stock.

First, it will only have what you put in. This means no extra ingredients and chemicals that you are better off not eating.

Second, it’s filled with nutrition that store bought stock can’t even begin to give you. Using pastured meats, hearty bones, vegetables from Urban Acres, and bit of Real Salt, your stock will be rich in vitamins, minerals, and gelatin (which aids in proper digestion.)

Third, it adds amazing flavor and nutrition to your other kitchen creations. Make some Chicken Noodle soup or Chicken Vegetable soup. Whip up some Beef vegetable soup or Chili. A great stock can be added to almost any homemade sauce or soup to make it better and more nutritious.

Recipe

1  Chicken Stock kit or Whole Chicken from Urban Acres (Pastured Chicken)

4  Quarts cold filtered water

2  Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar

1  Large Onion, chopped coarsely

2-3  Carrots, chopped coarsely

3  Celery Sticks, chopped coarsely

(other green veg or leafy green that you would like to add) no more than 2 Cups worth

1  Bunch parsley

Directions:

If you are using a whole chicken. Cut off the wings and remove the neck, and other parts from the cavity. Cut the chicken parts in to several pieces.

Otherwise, place water in a large stock pot, and add vinegar.  Then add chicken stock kit into the water, and let sit for 30 minutes.

While chicken is soaking, coarsely cut up all of the vegetables and add them to your pot.

Bring to a boil, and using a strainer or slotted spoon, remove most of the scum that has risen to the top. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 6 to 24 hours. I like to simmer for about 8 hours or overnight.

Chop up the parsley and add to stock and let it cook in for 15 minutes, then turn off heat, and remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon. Set aside so you can get the meat off them later. Once the stock has cooled a bit, strain the stock into a large bowl and reserve in the refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals.  Skim off this fat and pour final stock into containers that will be easy to store in the refrigerator. After a month, it’s best to reboil the stock and re-refrigerate.

Urban Acres carries everything you need to make a great stock.

Here’s a list of items you can find at Urban Acres to use in your stock.

1. Chicken Stock carcass kit. $5 (Windy Meadows Farm)

You can also use a Whole Chicken if you plan to make chicken soup and need all the meat. Or you can add chicken breast that has been baked to your future soup.

2. Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar 32oz for $5.79

3. Real Salt (sea salt) 26oz for $5.59

All Stocks have salt, but the store bought stocks use processed salt.  Real Salt is an unrefined sea salt that contains all of the natural minerals that salt is supposed to have, including organicly occuring iodine which helps regulate many bodily systems. Real Salt helps activate enzymes in the intestines as well to help with digestion. Use in moderation.

4.  Vegetables from your bi-weekly veggie share. Depending on what you have and what you want to include you may need to suplement with other veggies. Here’s what we are using today. (Onion, carrots, celery, part of a leek, and green chard).

The Milk is here

Thanks to the guys at my local milk club, I’ve got my 7 gallons of local, certified pure raw milk from amazing local Dutch Belted cows.  The Dutch Belted make some of the creamiest milk around, and these beauties are 100% grass fed.  Delicious!

Also, I have a new 34oz Thermos to take lunch to work.  Gotta keep it cold.

Here’s a picture of these beautiful cows. (not the exact ones.. this one works as a cow model).

What’s for breakfast?  Oh yeah…   milk :)

Eggs are a Superfood?

Eggs are starting to get some good press.  In an interesting article out of the UK, eggs are being called a Superfood.

I agree only if the eggs in question are truly “pastured eggs” from chickens that get to roam around eating up good grasses and bugs like the eggs I get at Urban Acres Market.

The article does not mention the “quality” of the eggs, but that is no surprise when you read the last paragraph.

The latest findings, funded by the British Egg Industry Council, suggest that one or two eggs a day have no effect on total cholesterol levels for most people. Files released recently showed that in 1979 Margaret Thatcher lost weight on a short-term diet of 28 eggs a week.

So yes, Eggs are a superfood when you are actually eating great eggs.  The eggs at the supermarket are absolutely NOT great eggs.  To read more about the benefits of eating pastured eggs, check out my earlier post.

Urban Acres

Your Farm Store in the City

Bre and I have been members of a local Dallas, TX based Co-op for 6 months now, and we still feel that it’s the single best thing we can do for us and our new family (baby due July 20th).  When you do the research, it becomes obvious that raw and natural food is the best way to get and stay healthy.  We get our farm eggs, beef, chicken, and veggies from Urban Acres.  They are the public face of the original Co-op “The Movement Dallas“.  Through The Movement, we can also get our raw dairy.

If you have been looking for a better source of food, please consider joining the co-op.

Postponed

So, my little 3-day skin diet thing is going to have to wait. *sigh* I just didn’t think through all the different stuff we had going on this week and it was hard to find a 3 day period where we weren’t eating at a friend’s or meeting someone at a restaurant. Then, we’ll be in Cali next week, then Thanksgiving after that! So I’m thinking the first week of December is looking pretty good plus I can get my first free health consultation with The Movement before I try out the skin thing. Speaking of, I wanted to share even more about that awesome co-op I mentioned before. The Movement is a holistic training studio here in Dallas that also provides an Organic Co-op. We plan to join once we get back from Cali and super stoked. They have partnered with some local farms to provide fruits and veggies, meats, as well as dairy. Jon’s finally getting his fresh raw cow’s milk!!

Something I’m super excited about which isn’t co-op related but is health-related is my new-found love for tea! I especially love this store near my house called Teavana. The workers are very helpful in finding what I would like and showing me the best way to brew and steep, etc. I got this really cool TeaMaker thing that I put the leaves into, then pour the water, then after it steeps, I set it on my cup and the tea pours out. Genius. :)

I’ve slowly been cutting out my sugar-overload lattes and been switching over to tea and I’m just really glad it’s been a pleasant and yummy transition because you couldn’t pry my daily cinnamon dolce latte out of my hand with a crow bar a few months ago.  Anyway, that’s all for now. Will update with Cali photos, etc next week. :)

Much love!

J + B