Homemade turkey or chicken broth

[Brent S]

Im cooking down a turkey carcass in a stock pot right now. I chopped up a large onion, some celery, pepper, garlic, and a little soy sauce to simmer with it. Shortly I will strain it and let it cool in the fridge so I can scrape off the fat that rises to the surface. Tomorrow I will heat it back up and label it into the mason jars that I have in the dishwasher right now, and then cook them in the pressure cooker. I've always liked canned broths for soups and stews, but the ones I make have so much more flavor that the stuff from Walmart. So far turkey and chicken is all I've made, but the next time I cook ribs I'll try some beef broth too. Turkey is my favorite so far. I get an average of twelve pints per turkey, and ten for a chicken. All I know for sure is the house smells amazing from it right now. Yum!

 

[Dani]

You just cant beat the homemade stock. . . compare the color verses store bought and you can tell which would have more flavor

 

[Brent S]

You just cant beat the homemade stock. . . compare the color verses store bought and you can tell which would have more flavor

I've got 12 pints going for another fifteen minutes. That gets me three cases of the turkey stock in the pantry now, yeah! I think I found my new favorite hobby .

 

[jimLE]

sounds like that your doing all the good with the turkey and broth..

 

[Brent S]

sounds like that your doing all the good with the turkey and broth..

I've got about 1/4 to 1/3 of my pantry is stuff that I grew and canned, but my goal by fall is to get three quarters of it homemade. I still want store bought for the stuff I don't produce, so I have a better variety, but I know mine is healthier and tastes better.
I keep hearing that you should have 6 months of food for your family stored for prepping. I've said it before, you may be suprised how many friends you have when the grocery stores are bare. So I'm not sure six months will last that amount of time. I am a big fan of storing an emergency supply, but I still say learning to produce in a sustainable way is better than just stocking up.

 

[Brent S]

I like the broth for all sorts of things, from quick soups, to cooking rice, Green beans, etc. it gives more flavor to all sorts of things.

 

[Dani]

It is very versatile! Family favorite mashed potatoes are boiled in chicken stock with carrots & onions. Drained and then add in the S & P, cream cheese and dill with a little garlic. Buy around holiday times when turkeys are so darn cheap cause you just can't beat the price or raise any cheaper than that. Kinda like when I find chicken on sale at 29 & 39 cents a pound. Stock up and boil up when you have a chance. Makes awesome convenient foods.

 

[Brent S]

It is very versatile! Family favorite mashed potatoes are boiled in chicken stock with carrots & onions. Drained and then add in the S & P, cream cheese and dill with a little garlic. Buy around holiday times when turkeys are so darn cheap cause you just can't beat the price or raise any cheaper than that. Kinda like when I find chicken on sale at 29 & 39 cents a pound. Stock up and boil up when you have a chance. Makes awesome convenient foods.

I got 6 turkeys around thanksgiving due to price, still have three in the freezer. I live in the chicken capital of the world, so you'd think I could get low prices here, but most of the birds they produce go elsewhere. Go figure. I do all the shopping so am always on the lookout for good deals.
I've never done the cream cheese in potatoes before, but can't wait to try it. I'm sure it makes them richer. I used to add lots of salted butter, but am trying to eat healthier now days . Just about everything I cook gets onion, pepper and garlic, no salt anymore either .

 

[Gazrok]

I am a big fan of storing an emergency supply, but I still say learning to produce in a sustainable way is better than just stocking up.

Yep, the real trick is doing BOTH to really be prepared (and to be prepared for those family and friends who didn't share your foresight)...

 

[Brent S]

Yep, the real trick is doing BOTH to really be prepared (and to be prepared for those family and friends who didn't share your foresight)...

That's a tough one, stocking enough for you and yours is hard enough, how many people do you call real Friends?

 

[Dani]

Yep, the real trick is doing BOTH to really be prepared (and to be prepared for those family and friends who didn't share your foresight)...

If you are storing enough for family & friends who didn't, then I would stock up more on the store bought to give away. . . Jars are to expensive unless you think that they will actually return them to you, but that's a gamble even there.

 

[Brent S]

If you are storing enough for family & friends who didn't, then I would stock up more on the store bought to give away. . . Jars are to expensive unless you think that they will actually return them to you, but that's a gamble even there.

It's not just the cost of the jars, the time that goes into producing, preparing and preserving this stuff is almost worth gold ounce for ounce! Luckily I enjoy the sense of satisfaction I get from it. I agree that a mix of some store bought is good too. Espechially the stuff you don't grow anyways.

 

[Gazrok]

I mean the family and friends who will come to the ranch in a SHTF event. So, they'll be contributing to food production, defense, looting runs, etc.

While I want to be self-sustaining for the family, we'd also have to be able to provide for those that come here to help.