How to Make Incredibly Healthy Turkey Bone Broth!
After we vacuum-packed and froze most of the meat from one of our big toms, we had this beautiful carcass left! You can see it below. Beef bone broth is usually our go-to, but we decided to give turkey bone broth a whirl this time, since the carcass was so large and healthy! You can use any type of bones to make bone broth, so if you roast a chicken, you can use that! You can buy meat bones or ox tails at better supermarkets or a butcher shop (just be sure it's good meat, not raised with antibiotics or hormones and pasture raised/grass fed is the best of all). You can also, like we did, use bones you have on hand from one of your harvested animals.
Have You Ever Tried Making a Batch of Your Own Bone Broth? Here's Why You Should:
The Benefits of Bone Broth
According to Dr. Axe in his article on the benefits of bone broth, bone broth is probably the best thing to use for these healthy reasons:
- Overcome food intolerances and allergies
- Improve joint health
- Reduce cellulite (because of all the collagen which helps the connective tissue)
- Boost immune system
- To help cure leaky gut and digestive disturbances
Sally Fallon, the author of Nourishing Traditions, states that bone broth is one of the best ways to get your mineral compounds such as magnesium, phosphorous, sulphur, silicon, and more. Because you are using the parts of the animal that are not readily edible (or that we just don't want to eat), bone broth releases constituents like collagen and amino acids that help with digestion and build skin, hair, bones, and other organ systems.
Besides the fact that bone broth is obviously good for you, it is also DEEE-licious!
AND....it's so easy to make.
PLUS---your house smells so wonderful while it's simmering away on the stove top.
Turkey bone broth is the feature of this post!
Here are two of our toms: Mr. Big and Golfball. Golfball was bit as a youngster on his ankle, and it swelled up to a huge ball-sized pus-filled problem. After all was said and done, he was left with a golfball-sized lump on his leg. It hasn't affected his health, once he got over the bite. I'll get around to posting an article about how to make the healing salve I used on him soon!
Easy Steps for Making Turkey Bone Broth:
Bone broth is similar to stock. The biggest difference is that it is cooked longer along with some ACV (apple cider vinegar) and vegetables. The ACV helps to break down the minerals and nutrients in the bones. It is a bit thicker than stock too because of the collagen that is released. To get the most collagen possible, you can use the feet of chickens & turkeys as well!
How to Make Turkey Bone Broth:
1) Grab your bones! We used the whole carcass of a 30 pound turkey for this batch. If you are making your own bone broth, it is best to use clean, organic meat from which you know the origin. I would not use bones from a regular grocery store. A local ranch, or a butcher who uses bones not contaminated with hormones and antibiotics is best. Pasture raised is best of all.
2) Find a large pot, and place the bones inside.
3) Just use any vegetables you have on hand! Celery, beet greens, cabbage, onions, peppers, garlic....anything is fine! Think about your tastes!
4) Now spices: For a turkey broth, I just love dried sage leaves. I get all my bulk medicinal and spice herbs HERE. Of course, add salt, pepper, bay leaves, rosemary, or any other spice you enjoy. You can find all of these culinary spices fresh and far less expensive than in the grocery store at the link above.
5) Pour in enough water to cover by about an inch or so.
6) Pour in about 1 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar. If you use a bit more, that's fine too. I like the taste of vinegar, so I'm pretty generous. I probably add more than most.
7) Bring to a rolling boil, then turn it WAY down so it is just barely simmering. Leave it be for 24 to 48 hours (or more, actually). The longer it simmers, the more the bones are able to break down, creating a mineral rich nutrient dense bone broth.
8) When you feel it's done, strain out the vegetables and bones. I use a large Pyrex pitcher so I can pour the strained broth directly into jars along with a large mesh strainer.
9) Jar it up! You can can it in a pressure canner if you want it to last a long time. OR you can just freeze it in whatever amounts you think is great for your cooking (I like 32 ounce amounts). Use it as needed! Ours doesn't last too long!
**NOTE: Because this was a pretty lean turkey, full of meat, we didn't have a lot of fat. However, if you are making another type of bone broth, just place the broth in the refrigerator before bottling it if you can. The fat will rise to the top and harden. You can just pick or scoop it off! Then bottle.
**ANOTHER NOTE: Bone broth is generally denser than regular stock. In fact, if you use meat bones with lots of marrow or parts with lots of collagen, your bone broth may even have a loose jell-o type consistency. Don't worry! This is fine!
How to Use Bone Broth:
1) Cook with it! Use it to make rice, cauliflower rice, potatoes, stews...anything!
2) Drink a daily glass for nourishment. Melissa & Dallas Hartwig, authors of the Whole30, recommend using a daily glass as part of your regimen!
3) This broth is WONDERFUL to use in soups.
4) Use it to help fend off a cold/flu.
5) Put it in food storage and feel happy it's there waiting for you!
Here is the carcass of a tom turkey. We cut off the meat, vacuum packed and froze it for use later. This is what we will use to make the broth.
The carcass is in my 5 gallon canning pot, along with about 3 gallons of water, vegetables and spices. I don't measure anything---and I just use what I have on hand. We had just picked some beets from the garden, plus some other things---Floating on top are sage leaves.
Bring it all to a rolling boil, then turn down to VERY low for a very slow simmer. I let mine go for about 48 hours. I had to add water once---about a half gallon. It will become thicker as it simmers. Some bone broth becomes VERY thick because of the collagen. I didn't add the feet this time, so even though the broth turned out thick, it's not like a gelatin.
Here is a perfect little cup of broth! I love drinking this stuff! It's tasty and super nutritious!
I hope you'll give this a try! I promise you won't be disappointed! Leave me some comments, too! What kinds of broth have you tried?
This post has been published on the Homestead Bloggers Network! If you want to know anything about everything homesteading, that is the place to visit. You'll find a network of over 300 homesteaders with so much information! Check it out! You can also find this article on Our Simple Homestead Blog!
Love and Self-Reliance!
Heidi
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Disclaimer: I am not a medical practitioner. The information in this post is based on my education and experience, and is meant for informational purposes only. I do not diagnose, cure, or treat any health issues. Please see a medical professional for any concerns.
