Stewing hens recipes

[Guest guest]

Stewing hens are usually older egg layers. The cluckers should live a

quality life with excellent nutrition for 2 1/2 to 3 years, (when fertility

goes down) if fed right, and are then humanely retired to the soup pot.

The meat is tough because they are older, but the bones retain many

minerals. They make wonderful golden broth and soup. Your whole house will

smell good when you cook them. The tougher meat gets tender with low and

slow cooking.

Lot's of recipes, but the secret to nutrient dense, golden broth is to add

some vinegar to the water you simmer them in. The vinegar leaches the

minerals out of the bones and evaporates so you don't taste it. Then cook

low and slow on the back of your stove. I add sea salt to all broth or

soup. Then freeze for whatever you need.

You can add any spices and veggies you like to improve nutrition and flavor

while you simmer. I personally like chicken & cream of wild rice soup.

You'd think cream of potato soup would be boring, but not with homemade

golden broth. If you are making mashed potatoes, add the chicken broth for

flavor. I freeze leftover fall garden tomatoes and toss them in my soup pot

all winter. Amazing how much money I save having a garden and using stewing

hens.

I can get 3 large pots of broth/soup off one stewing hen for people. Then I

make a couple extra pots for pouring over my dog food. I have done as many

as 5 pots on one hen. I have not experimented with how far you can go. I

add vinegar to each batch I make. One way to tell if it is " working " is if

it sets up like gelatin when you refrigerate. That means it is still

pulling gelatin and minerals from the bones.

I also make broth from meat chicken bones after we eat them. During a

recession it will stretch your dollars, you will fall in love with the rich

taste after you make it a few times with your own recipes. Use chicken stock

in gravy, pour it over your low and slow beef or pork. Make soup like the

best restaurants. Many uses.

Kathy

[Guest guest]

Yes, yes and yes.

To take this one step further, and especially if space is limited, you can

continue to slowly cook the broth down until it gets really thick. When the

broth coats a spoon, let it cool and you can cut it into cubes or whatever size

suits you, thereby making your own extract or " essence. " This keeps almost

indefinitely in the freezer taking up considerably less space.

I haven't made this for awhile, but it made the best gravy one Thanksgiving when

I added a few squares to the turkey broth. Drop dead delicious!

I believe the cubes can even be dehydrated, but I'd have to check on that. This

is something I tried in a cookbook I purchased years ago called, " Better Than

Store Bought. "

Kristi

From: Kathy DeBoer <kdeboer@...>

Subject: Stewing hens recipes

" " < >

Date: Monday, September 6, 2010, 3:15 AM

 

Stewing hens are usually older egg layers. The cluckers should live a

quality life with excellent nutrition for 2 1/2 to 3 years, (when fertility

goes down) if fed right, and are then humanely retired to the soup pot.

The meat is tough because they are older, but the bones retain many

minerals. They make wonderful golden broth and soup. Your whole house will

smell good when you cook them. The tougher meat gets tender with low and

slow cooking.

Lot's of recipes, but the secret to nutrient dense, golden broth is to add

some vinegar to the water you simmer them in. The vinegar leaches the

minerals out of the bones and evaporates so you don't taste it. Then cook

low and slow on the back of your stove. I add sea salt to all broth or

soup. Then freeze for whatever you need.

You can add any spices and veggies you like to improve nutrition and flavor

while you simmer. I personally like chicken & cream of wild rice soup.

You'd think cream of potato soup would be boring, but not with homemade

golden broth. If you are making mashed potatoes, add the chicken broth for

flavor. I freeze leftover fall garden tomatoes and toss them in my soup pot

all winter. Amazing how much money I save having a garden and using stewing

hens.

I can get 3 large pots of broth/soup off one stewing hen for people. Then I

make a couple extra pots for pouring over my dog food. I have done as many

as 5 pots on one hen. I have not experimented with how far you can go. I

add vinegar to each batch I make. One way to tell if it is " working " is if

it sets up like gelatin when you refrigerate. That means it is still

pulling gelatin and minerals from the bones.

I also make broth from meat chicken bones after we eat them. During a

recession it will stretch your dollars, you will fall in love with the rich

taste after you make it a few times with your own recipes. Use chicken stock

in gravy, pour it over your low and slow beef or pork. Make soup like the

best restaurants. Many uses.

Kathy