Zero Waste Broth - 1915 House

Did you know you can make nourishing, gut-healing broth for FREE? This Zero Waste Broth has saved us so much money and it’s very simple. I don’t have time for complicated and neither do you. 😉

I used to buy boxed broth from the store because I thought I didn’t have time to deal with making it from scratch. But when I discovered this method, everything changed.

Why bother with making homemade broth?

Homemade broth (especially bone broth, which I’m going to show you here) is one of the most nourishing things you can feed your body. Homemade bone broth is rich in glycine, gelatin, and collagen and so much more I won’t go into now. (hint: it’s also super anti-aging). Read sweet Jacqueline’s post on Eight Age-Defying Reasons I Drink Bone Broth. Her whole website is a goldmine of health information.

Zero Waste – Really?

YES

Here’s what I do.

As we eat our favorite chicken (whether whole chickens, legs, thighs, or wings) I save all the bones and throw them into a container or gallon ziplock bag in the freezer.

The same goes for all those veggie scraps that normally go into the compost or trash. No more. Most of what we all mindlessly throw away or compost is perfectly edible and full of flavor. I’m talking:

the tips and ends of carrots,
onion ends (including the peels),
garlic that’s past it’s prime,
stems from herbs used in other recipes,
celery ends,
pepper scraps, etc.

There are a few things you won’t want to toss into your broth:

Veggies in the cruciferous family (think broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, etc.) and greens (lettuces) you’ll want to avoid. They will turn your broth into something less-than-delicious-smelling. So keep those out of your veggie scrap bag – other than that, you should be golden.

Zero Waste Broth – Let’s do this.

*This post contains affiliate links to things I use and love. See full disclosure here.

Once you’ve saved up enough bones and veggie scraps (you’ll know because your scrap and bone bags will be full), we’re going to use your Instant Pot. You do have one of these, right? If you don’t yet, go here right now and grab one. It’ll be on your doorstep in two days with Amazon Prime. You’ll be so glad you did. I use my 8 quart Instant Pot multiple times a week for so many things – this broth recipe is only the tip of the iceberg.

Directions:

Place all bones and veggie scraps in your Instant Pot.
Pour in approximately 2-4 Tbsp. of apple cider vinegar. (I never measure)
Fill the IP insert with water (we love our Berkey system) to the max fill line.
Let everything sit on the counter in the IP for at least 3-4 hours. This draws out all the minerals and calcium from the bones. See all the why’s of this step here.
Make sure your lid is in the locked position with the vent turned to “sealed”.
Push the Manual button and set timer for 3 hours (180 minutes on your display)
Walk away and go about your day. The broth will take care of itself and your IP will keep everything hot until you’re ready for the next step. ***Sometime later in the day or the next morning, depending on when you started it***
Let cool for a bit (makes it easier to handle) and strain through a fine-mesh strainer.
I like to let my broth cool to room temp then put it in the fridge to let all the fat rise to the top. I skim the fat off once it’s solidified. *This step is totally optional.

And that’s it! You can now do one of three things:

Make a delicious soup for dinner
Portion into freezer bags or jars and freeze.
Put in a jar and place in the fridge for everyday sipping. (this is my youngest son’s favorite. He asks for bone broth every day when I succeed at keeping it on hand)

Want more yummy recipes? Here are a few…

Oh – and one last tip? If you use your broth instead of water to cook rice or quinoa you’ll take the flavor from “meh” to “LOVE”. Just sayin’. 😉