Wild Medicinal Forest Bone Broth

I often like to start my day with a hot cup of medicinal bone broth, especially during the deep, dark winters at latitude 44. Plain bone broth (obviously from ethically sourced, grass fed and finished bones) is medicinal enough as it is, but by adding various foraged and medicinal roots, herbs and vegetables and then simmering it all in acidic, pure water (hence the apple cider vinegar/lemon/lime), the nutrient density is off the charts!

My kitchen is an apothecary of various wild herbs, barks, roots, mushrooms, dried sea vegetables and nootropic/adaptogenic powders that I often use to fortify and infuse meals with extra nutrition. For bone broths, the sky’s the limit, and I hope this recipe inspires you to get creative in the kitchen and use the additions that work for you!

Ingredients

• 1-3 lbs ethically raised animal bones (grass fed and grass finished, pasture raised/wild caught and at least organic) - I used pasture raised chicken carcasses which I get frozen from the organic delivery haul, or at the health food store

• 1-2 large organic celery stalks/stems/hearts/bottoms, chopped (I collect old celery hearts over time and save them in the freezer for broths)

• 2 organic carrots, chopped (I collect the carrot tops over time and save them in the freezer for broths)

• handful of organic parsley stems (I collect the unused stems and store them in the fridge for broths)

• 1 organic leek or onion, chopped, onion skin on

• leftover onion skins (I collect them and store them in the freezer for broths)

• 1-2 washed eggshells from corn/soy-free, pasture raised eggs (the membranes provide bioavailable Type 1 collagen, and I try to target whole food sources before supplements when possible)

• 1 big knob of organic ginger, chopped

• 1 large clove organic garlic, chopped

• few leaves wild stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) or wood nettle (Laportea canadensis), or other organic/wild leafy medicinal herbs of choice, such as raspberry leaf, milk thistle, rosemary, thyme, etc. I foraged my wood nettles with friends while wearing gloves in the wilderness and dried them first, but cooking also denatures the fresh leaves’ sting

• few pieces/pinches of your preferred dried organic sea veggie, such as dulse, nori, wakame, kombu

• handful of wild foraged spruce tips (if it’s spring), or cedar leaves (optional)

• 1-2 teaspoons organic/wild adaptogens of your choice (optional, I used astragalus here)

• few organic black peppercorns

• big pinch of sea salt

• big splash of raw organic apple cider vinegar (or lemon or lime juice) - this helps draw the minerals out of the high quality bones

• wild spring water, or properly filtered and restructured/vortexed water, to cover the ingredients

Method

1. Add all ingredients to a big pot or slow cooker: bones, celery stalks, carrots, parsley stems, leek/onion/skins, eggshells, ginger, garlic, adaptogens, nettle/herbs, dried sea veggies, sea salt

2. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar

3. Fill the pot up with spring water to cover the ingredients, or until slow cooker is almost full without overflowing

4. Bring pot to a boil on HIGH

5. Simmer on LOW for 4-24+ hours. A longer time may be easier if you use a proper slow cooker. Refill the pot with water if needed during this time, since some of it will evaporate.

6. After broth is cooked, strain the liquid out, discard the solids, and store the liquid in glass mason jars in the fridge for up to a week.

Tips

The solid fat will melt upon reheating on the stove.

1. Your broth should be extremely fatty and nutrient dense, opaque and golden, full of vitamins and minerals. Once cooled and refrigerated, the broth will develop a hearty layer of fat, and this layer of fat is a sign that you’ve made a successful broth. Don’t discard this precious fat, heat it up again on the stove so it’ll melt, and drink it. The more of a variety of bones, joints, feet, wings, tendons, etc. you add, the more well rounded your broth will be.

2. Any time I made broth and stored it in the freezer in jars, the glass cracked even when the broth was already cooled, so I just recommend making broth ice cubes for long term freezer storage. Pop them into stews, soups, smoothies, etc.

3. Be sure to source high quality, ethically raised, grass fed and finished bones. Bones not only contain good minerals, but can also contain heavy metals, especially if they’re conventional factory farmed/living an unnatural lifestyle, so it is best to be mindful and source wisely and opt for the highest quality bones with good metaphysical energy (not the energy of a sad, tortured soul). Don’t be afraid to ASK questions to your butcher or food provider. Alternatives for a solid gelatin source include pasture raised oxtail or lamb shanks!