Organic Beef!!

Choosing to live an organic lifestyle, you quickly learn to go without the things that others take for granted. Beef is one of the things that we don’t have often because of the limited supply of organic beef in our area. It’s not to say that there isn’t any, but there isn’t much that we can readily afford for roasts and cuts. I once bought 1-2 lb chuck roast from Azure for $45! That one piece (bone in, mind you) did not even come close to a meal for my family! There were a lot of carrots and potatoes to beef it up (pun intended). Years ago, we found a supplier and had been buying beef by the half/whole for a few years and then the option dried up for us as the family sold the farm. So whenever we’d buy beef by the side, we would ration it and covet it like it was gold, which it really is!  We were looking for an organic beef supplier last fall and came across Maine Organic Beef Co. They were advertising ground beef, so I thought I’d take a shot and ask if they would consider selling us the whole cow. They said yes! I have to tell you, this is the BEST beef we’ve ever had! The steaks are so well marbled, the ground beef is just heaven! We did a side by side taste of the ground beef and it was the MOB, hands down! I haven’t had a chance to pull out a roast yet (my oven was down for 1.5 months during the holidays..sheesh) but that is on the menu next week. I can’t wait!

I’ve been meaning to write this post on beef bone broth for sometime, but well….life gets in the way.

What is so special about bone broth?!? You see it everywhere, but what is it? How do you use it? Is it healthy for us? The answer is yes!! It is incredibly healthy for us! It helps support the GI tract, it helps with inflammation, give us an amazing immunity boost and can help support sleep! Who knew it did all of that and so much more. It is a super tasty health bomb! It contains trace minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus as well as vitamins A, K2, Iron, Zinc, manganese, proteins and fats from the bone marrow. When you boil it for a long time you also extract anti-aging collagen, peptide, amino acid, and glucosamine. All of which can help your gut maintain lining so you don’t get leaky gut. No bueno.

Set aside a day or so to have your stock simmer away! It warms up the house, smells divine and you have a super tasty and nutritious meal!

I am a “throw it in the pot” kinda gal, recipes aren’t my jam. I blame culinary school for that. I’ll give my best go at a recipe for bone broth though. The key is to simmer it for 12+ hours so that you pull all of the goodness out of the bones. Sometime in the winter, I’ll start it in the morning, add water to it as it evaporates then put it outside to chill. I’ll get up the next day and do it all over with the same pot of broth. Slow simmer all day and then I’ll finish the soup in to a stew or can the bone broth for later. It freezes well too! The picture is of beef stew with herbed dumplings. It was yummy!

You’ll need:

4 pounds organic beef bones, preferably a mix of marrow bones and stew bones with a little meat on them or knuckle bones

1-2 cans of organic tomato paste

3 medium organic carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 medium organic leek, end trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces if you have it (helps to clarify the stock)

2 medium organic onion, quartered

1 organic garlic head peeled

1 bunch organic parsley

6 sprigs of organic thyme

2 sprigs organic rosemary

4 organic celery stalks

2 organic bay leaves

2 tablespoons organic black peppercorns

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon organic cider vinegar

I also add in any of my dried mushrooms for immunity. Might as well, right?!? I use turkey tail, shiitake, maitake. They add a great flavor AND the you get the bonus of the extra immunity!

You’ll also need a large stock pot, about 6 quarts (12 cups)

I first take the bones smear them with tomato paste, add the veggies, fresh herbs and garlic then roast all of that @450 degrees. The tomato paste helps to create a deeper, fuller and richer flavor as well as helping to break down the connective tissue of the bones. I roast them until they are brown on top, about 30-40 minutes.

Then I put them in the stock pot and cover with fresh water, then add your apple cider vinegar, fresh parsley, salt, peppercorns and bay leaves. Start your pot and bring to a simmer, you don’t need a hard boil. Make sure that you keep an eye on the amount of water, you want the bones and good stuff to stay submerged, so you will likely add water as it goes along.

There are different schools of thought on how long it takes, I say anywhere form 12-24 hours. Whatever time you choose the rule of thumb is stop adding additional water about 2 hours prior to your finish. The longer the stock simmers, the more goodness you’ll extract and the more flavorful it will be.

Once it’s at a point where you’re happy with it (salt and pepper to taste) strain it and then start your soup/stew. It is worth it, your bellies will LOVE the warmth, nutrition and healing benefits!