homemade bone broth

So, I have to be honest.  The thought of making bone broth intimidated me to no end. 

I know, I know, some bones, some liquid, veggies and a slow cooker.  How can that be intimidating to someone who cooks all their own food?

I don't know.  It was just one of my weird things.  The idea of cooking bones just seemed odd to me.  The one time I tried to get bones from a local farmer, he said they "run out before the farmers market even starts", which left me defeated and not wanting to revisit the idea. Thanks, farmer man. 

But alas, my doctor and all the books and blogs I read, tout that it's amazingly helpful for healing the gut, and in that process, the brain, so I thought i'd venture back to the farmers market and give it another go this past weekend.

This time I was very successful!  I found a new farm with an amazingly nice farmer who had 3 packages of grass-fed beef bones left and I picked some up and threw them in the crockpot when we got home! Along with the carrots, onion, celery and bay leaves I had in the kitchen.  I have to give credit to Kelly over at Primally Inspired for her recipe for the bone broth, because like I said before, cooking bones, wasn't going to just happen on my own. 

I will say it turned out super yummy.  I may have needed a couple more bones, or some more spices or herbs because it did taste a little weak and watery.  But the color was beautiful and it made my house smell super-delicious.  And, as an added bonus, you can use it in so many dishes or sip it on a cool, chilly evening like I did when I was writing the other night.  I even saved the veggies and ate them with some nitrate free lunch meat the next day for lunch.