Keep the Homefires Burning

Attempting to go MSG free....experimenting with homemade "broth"

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{ 10:12 AM , Wednesday, August 6, 2008 } { Posted by morningsunshine }

I make my own broth and stock. I have learned some things.
broth - a clear liquid usually made with the meat (or just veggies)
stock - a cloudy liquid usually made with the bones. it has the natural gelatins and other good stuff - the origin of "chicken soup is good for illness"

I bottle (pressure can) my stocks so I have them whenever I want them.

When I use veggies, I cut off the end of celery, onions, I peel carrots and potatoes. all that stuff i used to throw away (even to the compost) I place in a gallon freezer bag. When I have 2 or 3, I take them out and make my veggie broth from that. this also works well for that celery bunch that is too old (soft) to use fresh but not bad yet. throw that in too.

In November I start asking around to my neighbors, in-laws, extended family, piano teachers, etc to save me their turkey carcasses from Thanksgiving. I make a trip of it on Friday to pick up the bones and leftovers THAT PEOPLE THROW AWAY. I ask them to just put it in a clean garbage sack or a ziplock. I spend the last week of November cooking down the bones and leftover meat. I will also throw my freezer veggies in for added flavor. I strain, etc. but at the end, I have around 30-40 quarts of homemade turkey stock as convenient as the cans from the store. but soooooo much healthier. If you look at my archives for last november, I detailed it. This is interchangeable with chicken broth.

If I cook up a whole chicken, or buy a rotisserie from the grocery, I throw those bones in the freezer too until I have a large number. enough to make cooking down the stock worth the time and energy.

the bottled broth works well for most things, but I have one recipe that calls ONLY for the chicken bullion, not bullion AND water (broth). For this I took about 7 quarts of fresh-made broth, boiled it down until it was thick and dark. I ended up with about a pint, and placed it in the coldest part of my fridge. it is heavily flavored, and I use it teaspoon for teaspoon in place of the bullion.

natural health

{ 10:54 AM , Wednesday, August 6, 2008 } { Posted by pljammie }

I know how hard it is to make your home a "no msg" zone. One place that I've found lots of encouragement and advice on the road to natural healing is www.welltellme.com. It is a nice group of Christian ladies eating whole foods and treating their illnesses with herbs and homeopathic remedies...might be an encouragement to you as the first changes are the hardest to implement.

Blessings,
Mrs. P

My Home is this way.......

{ 03:06 PM , Wednesday, August 6, 2008 } { Posted by patintenn }

If I eat anything at all with MSG in it my throat swells shut and I have trouble breathing. So we had no choice but to go this way.

I am new at some of this but what I do for stock is, everytime I need to boil chicken, I add in a few spices and when the meat is cook, I strain the broth, let it cool, pour it in a canning jar and place in the freezer. It keeps till I need it and once thawed, I can smell the herbs ans spices again right way.

Good luck !!

Pat

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{ 07:55 PM , Wednesday, August 6, 2008 } { Posted by seventhheaven }

You have inspired me. Ive also been considering making my own broth and stock but didnt know what to do. Thank you for sharing and for the comments.... very useful for beginners like us.