simple mineral-rich bone broth

My response to the recent flu outbreaks? Cooking, of course. Hippocrates said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Sure, we still fall ill, just like everyone else. But by feeding my family well, I promote our health as best I can. This week, one of my cooking projects was a batch of bone broth. Simple to make, bone broth is full of calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, and gelatin, which has been proven to combat disease. Homemade broth like this can be enjoyed as is (as a sort of whole foods supplement to whatever you are eating that day), or can form the base for any number of homemade soups. Here is my go-to bone broth recipe (if you can even call it a recipe, it's so easy):

Homemade Mineral-Rich Bone Broth

(makes about 2 quarts)

large pot
4 quarts of water
bones of 2 cooked chickens*
2 Tablespoons Bragg's unfiltered cider vinegar
6-8 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1 onion, rough chopped
sea salt

Put everything in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 4 hours. Strain the liquid and store in the fridge for several days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Note that when cool, the broth will be gelatinous. This is exactly how you want it! Do not strain fat from the broth, or you will be removing the "good stuff"!

*Whenever we get a rotisserie chicken, I save the bones in the freezer. Once I have 2 sets of chicken bones stored, I make a batch of broth. You can also make bone broth with fish or beef bones, though I tend to always stick to chicken and turkey.

Here is a well-researched article about bone broth from the Weston A. Price Foundation, if you would like to read up more on the health benefits, and here is a wonderful article from Andrea Beaman about how to help heal your body, if you do get sick.

Here's to hoping all of you stay healthy this season!