{Easy} Crockpot Bone Broth

Have you ever enjoyed a chicken for dinner and thrown away the bones?  I used to do that too!

And then I discovered how to make chicken bone broth. Basically, bone broth is just broth cooked long enough to pull more nutrients from the bones, joints and marrow.

Here is my easy method: 

Enjoy your Sunday dinner, or even the rotisserie chicken you brought home from the market. (Preferably organic.)

Once you have removed the meat from the bones, put the carcass into your crock pot, along with any giblets that were in the chicken when you prepared it.  Add water to cover.  At this point you can also add leftover veggies, carrots, celery, garlic, etc. But you don't have to. Set your crock on low and cook all night and into the next morning...........

......or longer, if you like. When you are ready for the next step, you will need a strainer that fits into a large bowl, in order to separate the broth from the bones.

See how the leg bone is soft enough to break? See the marrow?

Now you are ready to save the broth.

If you like, you can super-strain it with a piece of muslin.

Next, I pour some of the broth into a glass container to use in cooking. The rest, I pour into ice trays and freeze. When frozen, I dump the cubes into a bag. Then, anytime I need some broth, I can grab as much as I need. I often melt a cube in a bowl and add my dog's kibble. Needless to say (but I will) she loves it!

If you have chickens...do not throw the mush away! I bag it up (remember the bones crushed easily between my fingers) and I feed it to my hens.  My 9 hens share about 1 cup of this weekly. (Well Big Meany doesn't share, but the rest do.)

I know this looks like a lot of steps, but it only takes a few minutes of your time.  It is economical and, of course, EASY!

About 31 days of EASY: 

So many things in life are hard.  And some of those hard things are necessary. But why make things harder than they need to be?  For 31 days, I'll be writing about ways to bring ease.  I would be honored if you came along on my journey.  Pack light. 

If you want to know more about the 31 Day Blog Challenge, click here:
Nesting Place: It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.
or here: Why 31 days?

Many Blessings to you.

{Easy} Steamed Eggs

"They are one of the healthiest things you can eat," says Dr. Mercola

When I started raising chickens almost 3 years ago, I had no idea how an egg got from a hen to an egg carton, to the store. I'm going to show you how my eggs arrive now. (Even in the chicken-raising community, seeing this is a rare treat.) 

I never tire of collecting eggs.

Or taking pictures of them. 

Three years ago, I didn't know that unwashed, non-pasteurized eggs don't need to be refrigerated, or that eggs purchased at the grocery store can be several weeks old by the time you bring them home.

Another thing I learned is that a fresh, hard boiled egg is hard to peel. One of my Facebook chicken friends shared her method of steaming eggs, claiming that steamed eggs will peel easier. And it is true.

Here is my easy, steam method:

First, I select eggs of the same size, usually provided by the same chicken.

These eggs were made by my Delaware hen,
Lucy Loudmouth.

I put a single layer of eggs into my vegetable steaming pan, along with water in the bottom, of course. Then I turn on the heat to high.

I set the timer for 25 minutes. It takes my pan about 10 minutes to get up to a full steam. Your stove top, pan, the temperature or the size of your eggs may be different and you may have to adjust the time. Just use my test method the first time and then you will know how long for your perfect egg.

TEST METHOD: When my timer goes off, I remove one egg and add it to a bowl of ice water. I quickly peel this egg to be certain it is done. (And it always is.) Then I add the rest of the eggs to the water to cool.

Now, I add a small chunk of butter and Himalayan salt to my test egg and have a healthy snack.

The remaining hard-boiled eggs go unpeeled into a bowl, where they keep for at least a week. We use them for salads and quick snacks.

One more thing. I don't throw the egg water away. I do this instead:

I have not bought eggs at the store for many years, but if I ever do, I will continue to steam, rather than boil my eggs. I hope you try it!

About 31 days of EASY: 

So many things in life are hard.  And some of those hard things are necessary. But why make things harder than they need to be?  For 31 days, I'll be writing about ways to bring ease.  I would be honored if you came along on my journey.  Pack light. 

If you want to know more about the 31 Day Blog Challenge, click here:
Nesting Place: It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.
or here: Why 31 days?

Many Blessings to you.

Good Bye {This Moment}

2010-2113

You were awesome!

Rest in peace Miss Piggy

{This Moment} A new Saturday tradition: 

sharing a moment from the previous week that touched my heart, gave me pause, or caused a change.

Nothing Wasted : How I Used 100 Percent of our Thanksgiving Turkey

Four days after Thanksgiving, our turkey was entirely utilized-- every bit of it, bones and all.

Here's how:

First, I bought a 21 lb, fresh, free range turkey at Sprouts Market and soaked it in brine. I cooked the giblets and the neck in a small crock pot overnight, feeding the meat to my dog and to our chickens over the next several days.

Next,  I roasted the bird in our new electric roaster at 450 for 30 minutes, then another 3 1/2 hours at 325 degrees. I was able to roast the turkey in our laundry room, leaving the oven available to warm our side dishes.

I wish I had taken photos of the bird on a platter, but we were too busy getting everything else ready.

As soon as the table was cleared, and before pie, I put the turkey carcass into our large crock pot, covered it with water, and set it on low.  I kept it on low for a day and a half.  Then I strained the broth into a bowl and divided the bones, meat and skin into bags for the freezer.  I will serve this to our chickens, about one bag per week.

Even though our turkey was well built -- due to his "free range life" -- a day and a half in the crock brought his stalwart bones to the point where I could crush them easily between my fingers, exposing  the marrow, which my chickens love; actually, the hens eat every single bone, but not all at once.

(We ate our share of the leftovers too.)

I poured the strained broth back into the crock pot, along with three of the biggest bones, an onion, 2 carrots, a stalk of celery, and 3 cloves of garlic, a bay leaf and a stray pepper top from someones's lunch.

Then I cooked the broth for another a couple of days, adding water a few times. In this way, I was able to pull all the nutrition from the combined elements. Then I strained the stock, adding the vegetables to my compost bin.

Four days after eating our turkey, I made soup:

Creamed Turkey Soup and Dumplings.
~Saute 1 diced onion, one stalk celery and 2 cloves chopped garlic in 2 tbsp butter. Add 3 cups turkey stock (you could use chicken stock) and 3 cups water. 
~Pour into crock pot. 
~Add 1-2 sliced carrots and bits of turkey, about 2 cups I slightly shredded it with my fingers (after removing any 'surprises', because I don't like 'surprises.'
~Salt and pepper and do something else for a couple of hours. ( I went to yoga class.)
~Ladle about a cup of broth into a separate container and add 2 tbs cornstarch, mixing well and return to pot.
~Add some whole milk, cream or half and half, slowly, while stirring until it looks right.
~Turn up the heat and bring to a simmer.
~Add one pinch of love ( I add this to everything I make.)

 I found the dumpling recipe on the internet and cut it in half, because I was only serving 3 people but here is the uncut version.

Homemade Dumplings 
(Click here for a wheat free dumpling recipe)

Ingredients  

~2 cups of all-purpose flour
~2 teaspoons of baking powder
~3/4 teaspoon of salt
~4 tablespoons margarine
~¾ - 1 cup water, or milk if preferred

Directions~~~~Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in 4 tablespoons of margarine. Add ¾ cup of water or milk and stir well. Add additional liquid as needed to form a soft dough that can be dropped by a large spoon into the soup.

~Using a large spoon, drop the dumpling dough into simmering Homemade Chicken Soup.
~Cover kettle{ I used my crock-pot} and simmer for 15 minutes. Do not remove the cover to check for doneness before the allotted time. This will cause the dumplings to "fall" and Instead of light fluffy dumplings, you will get dense dumplings. It is possible to cook the dumplings without a cover, but the results are better if they are covered. (Recipe found Here)

In conclusion: I learned how to use 100 per cent of a 20 lb turkey.

1. Neck, Giblets to pets
2. Dinner for 10
3. Sent leftovers home with 3 families
4. Made bone broth with carcass
5. Leftover meal for 2
6. Lunches for 2 days
7. Bones cooked to crushing stage and divided into bags for chickens throughout the month.
8. Creamed turkey soup.
9. Leftover soup
10. 1 quart stock to be used in stew 
11. 2 trays broth ice cubes
12. 2 cups turkey bits in lunch bags for dog's food.

Can you tell I'm pleased?

~Blessings

Linking this post with:
Tuesdays with a Twist
Farm Girl Friday Blog Fest
The Thankful HomeAcre Hop

Creativity is Where Needs and Interests Collide

Today began as usual -- a blessed morning filled with possibilities.  While cleaning up breakfast -- my prince's yummy blend of fresh eggs from the backyard, potato, peppers, green onion, garlic and cheese -- I noticed that our spice cabinet looked like it needed some attention. The lazy Susan's were jumbled and be-specked, and upon investigation, I found that a few jars of  herbs were  past their "use by" date.  I have fresh herbs growing in the garden, so I decided to recycle them.

Not so long ago, I would have sent these expired items into the trash without another thought.

 THAT WAS BEFORE...  

...before eight chickens, compost bins and recycle bins offered better options for kitchen scraps and trash. So, this morning, the old dill and black pepper went into the kitchen compost catcher under the sink. The oregano and sage added their aromas to the nest box with Miss Piggy, the broody Orpington hen.  As I prepared to put the plastic containers into our recycle bin... I had an idea: why not make them into plant starters?  Their shaker tops would make great little "frogs" to hold cuttings for the new herb plants I've been wanting to start.    

I got to work removing the labels clothing from their old life.

Three jars found a new home in our garden window, filled with basil, mint and lemon balm stems.

Aren't they great?

This one had a flip top that I snapped off, leaving me with a pretty blue screw-on lid. 

Another one spent the day in the kitchen with my lemon water.

Isn't it amazing how many ordinary days, or old things can become extra-ordinary when we begin to think about other ways they can be useful? An old thing, myself, it makes me happy to think of new uses for things; it gives me hope that I may continue to be useful in new ways too. May your life grow new shoots today as you consider your options.

To read more stories like this, head on over to Deborah Jean's Dandelion House: http://deborahjeansdandelionhouse.blogspot.com/2011/03/farmgirl-friday-blog-hop.html
And also to Blessed Beyond a doubt:
http://www.blessedbeyondadoubt.com/weekend-blog-hop-july-6/
~Blessings~

Chick Flicks are the New BH&G

Warning: I am participating in a Hen House Hop and I'm about to tell a story of a crazy old women and the things that fascinate her. If you like chickens, you might like the story.  If not, well, you still might like the story. Here goes...

When our four girls were young I would jokingly tell them that it was time to pick up the house -- just in case Better Homes and Gardens showed up to do a photo-shoot.  My camera-like eyes were always panning the layout to make pretty pictures in our home.  Last year on Mother's Day the girls, now adults, gave me a camera. For the first time in my life I was able to preserve some of the vignettes my eyes were seeing.

Little did I know that the real camera would have an appetite for chick flicks.

Four new girls moved into our backyard.  Their "home" fit nicely into a corner that had recently been renovated to be a wedding backdrop for daughter number three.

At first, the 5x5x8 coop gave them plenty of room to eat, sleep, perch and play.  But as they grew bigger I realized this would not be enough space.  I used an old folding baby playpen to let them have a romp outside the coop. They liked this so much, I decided to make it more permanent and the coop renovation process began.

The love of my life, My Prince, often brings me gifts from landscape-land.  He had recently brought me some flower stalks, cut from several Yucca plants. He knows me well! His gift was better than roses! I sprayed the 4- 6 foot stalks Rustoleum Eden Green and wired them to the playpen. Did I forget to mention that he was not very happy about the chickens coming to live with us?  My Prince wouldn't have anything to do with the birds and their "creepy feet," which left me constructing on my own. The result was a bit shanty-like.

Regardless of  the wabi sabi (beautifully imperfect) nature of my expanding coops and pens, my camera snapped vignettes to share with new friends on Facebook -- friends who understood me. My Chicken Peeps, as I call them, would encourage me to explore and develop this new fascination.

These friends were cheering me on when, one summery day, I went to the feed store and came home with two peeping pullets. Adding these new birds to the flock necessitated a temporary coop, so I "borrowed" what I call the ugly duckling, a rabbit hutch that daughter number one had found on Craig's List.  Of course, it needed a bit of a lift.

So out came the Eden Green paint and the leftover trim from our office renovation, as well as a few other things around the yard. (By the way, she said I can keep it now.)

Miraculously, I came upon some leftover deer fencing when emptying my mother's cabin shed last summer and knew just how it should be re-purposed. (Thanks Mom.)  The new coop went on the other side of a 30 foot span of tall Oleander shrubs, enabling me to create a long run between the two coops with bird netting above the run.  This way, I was able to make more room for the chickens, put up a temporary separation, keep our yard design, and do it myself. (My Prince was still maintaining his distance.)

Meanwhile, here and there, I had been dabbling in little decorative fix-ups. A Facebook friend showed me some curtains she had made for her nest boxes.

On my first attempt at curtains, I used some old kitchen towels and nails.  NOT very BH&G, I know!  I kept at it.  Girls like their privacy, after all!  The leftover gingham check worked well.

Hens also like herbs. When I added herbs to their nest, they started to lay eggs! And that got My Prince to reconsider, especially when my offerings were presented with a touch of class and a wee bit of humor.

Sometimes, okay often,  I had eggs on my mind while working. The camera documented these moments as well. Who wouldn't want to see how big an egg was by comparing it to laptop keys?

As the holidays approached and the temps cooled, my decorating sap began to flow again.  I had to do something to make the coop festive.  I decided to find a stack of kitchen calendars that I had been saving ..well...for just such a moment. One weekend I stooped in the coop, happily decoupaging the walls. The mirror? Oh, that was under my couch. It was warped but too pretty to toss, so up it went in the coop. (You can see I had a little fun photo-editing.) Hens like to look nice too!
That's Coconut, the big, bad bully of the flock, a Rhode Island Red. She eats first, perches first and chomps on her own feathers  -- a habit I am trying to stop by the way.

Meet Banana Chip and Miss Piggy, my sweetest birds; daily layers of the biggest eggs I've ever seen! Here they show their bloomers and their girth, while plucking my favorite blooms. Hey, knock it off!

Meet Happy Feet Peep (or is that Little Bo Peep? I can't tell, but they are both beauties.) Like typical twins, they are never far from each other.

They are Black Australorps, with soft and shining feathers and they like my camera as much as I do.

Here is Lucy Loudmouth, the Delaware that daughter number one bumped from her flock, fearing that Lucy's noisy rants would be unsettling to her neighborhood.  Lucy Loudmouth lays pretty pink eggs, but she is a babbler as she does it. Some girls just like to talk about their projects. Am I right?

Then, there is Dinah, the Red Star.  She is my curious hen. Dinah always has one eye on me and one eye on her mission.  She is a don't-mess-with-me kind of girl who doesn't need to be mean to take prime spots. She has charisma.

I think that she wants to be just like me when she grows up.  I don't have the heart to tell her she's never coming into my house! Though I doubt that would stop her from her dream of moving in.

Do you think these girls know where their food comes from? Or do they want to try on my golden sandals and dance around like little princesses?



Meet Poor Little Matilda, my newest bird.  PLM is a Barred Rock. She brings our flock to eight lovely girls and this is where I must stop adding because of space constraints. Adding a lone hen to a flock is not an easy task. Hens have an established clique, including who gets to sleep where, who gets to lay when; who gets to eat what. I imagine in a few weeks Poor Little Matilda will be allowed to have free access to crumble and treats, but for now she spends a fair amount of the day perching safely out of reach. In the meantime, PLM has an advocate.  It appears that somewhere along the way, My Prince decided that the chickens aren't so bad after all. PLM captured his tender heart.  Hearing her miserable little noises when the big girls picked on her, he began to come in to get me, saying,"Becky, they are picking on my chicken, make sure she is eating; make sure she is drinking."  HMMMMM.

And so concludes begins the story of this crazy old woman who found her nest empty, filled it with chicks, decorating every corner, making friends, and documenting along the way.

...No, BH&G  hasn't shown up to do the photo layout - - yet.  I may not even need them, now that I have my own spiffy little Cannon:)

Recently, I made a new entry for the coop and re-purposed the yucca stalks to be veggie stakes.  My Prince helped me pound his donated tree poles (painted Eden green) into the ground and even shared his air-powered stapler for the job. Now that the temperatures have topped one hundred, the shrubs and the open coop design show their true value.  

Thanks for stopping by. If you are a Hen Hopper, you may want to watch my recent video tour.Becky's Hen Pen 4-16-2012 If you are one of my Chicken Peeps (You know who you are.) you've seen it already. I'm on my way outside to add some bird netting to the deer fence to keep the squirrels and sparrows out of the pen.  Happy day to all!
You can follow this link to view other Hen Houses: Deborah Jean's Hen House Hop

Love,

Becky