Eating with the Seasons: Nourishing Stock

Technology allows us the luxury of buying almost any food all year round. 

After generations of easy availability, we have become disconnected from the rhythm of the seasons. We begin to believe that, without modern technology and supermarkets, we would be unable to feed ourselves.

But we belong in the cycles we see all around us on and in the Earth. All around us, we can find the wisdom of our ancestors if we're willing to pay attention. Eating with the seasons reconnects us with the health of nature's original design.

This is the time of year to make use of produce that stores well: potatoes, squashes, apples, onions, carrots, garlic, beans, and legumes. We should be making comfort foods that warm the kitchen, our hearts, and our bodies. It's time to cook chili, quiche, oatmeal, pies, roasted chicken, beef, pork, and lamb. Bones from the roasts will make nutrient-dense stock. And the stock is a base for an endless variety of soups.

My go-to reference for stocks and broths is Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. You can find many of her recipes on the Weston. A. Price website.

I start my stock with the first frost and keep it rolling until spring, simmering it every day, replacing old bones with new ones from the roasts that I save from dinner.

My grandmother used to soak the bones in vinegar before she made stock. I’m not sure if she knew why, but she never skipped this step. I know now that the vinegar helps to extract the minerals from the bones as the stock simmers.

When it’s finished, the broth is rich with minerals and all that’s left of the bones is a hollow, brittle matrix that crumbles under the gentle pressure of your fingers.

Sometimes I drink a cup of plain broth with salt. It has collagen, glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid, all playing a role in healing the gut, repairing joints, and promoting healthy skin, hair, and nails.

Other times I drink it with a meal. As a hydrophilic colloid, it aids digestion by attracting and drawing digestive juices to food in the gut.

Once or twice during the season, I change from a poultry-based stock to a red meat stock, or vice versa. That’s when I make soup from the old broth in order to empty the stockpot for the change of bones. I eat some right away and freeze the rest for later.

Keeping stock handy during the cold season is an effective way to enhance your immune system in
case you come across any toxins that you need to clear. What a delicious way to stay well!

May you be deeply nourished.
- Susan