

Stop Throwing Away Bones After Making Broth!
Meat can be a controversial subject. Some people claim that humans were never meant to eat meat and that they are healthier now that they only eat a plant based diet, others swear by the carnivore diet. Most homesteaders raise some kind of meat animal but there are some vegan homesteaders. I can respect whatever food decisions you make! We choose to eat meat, but we do eat it in moderation. We prefer to eat meat that we know where it comes from and had a good, fulfilling life. Lastly, we try to use as much of the animal as we can. That can be difficult! One part of the animal that I grew up throwing away is the bone. However, bone broth has made a come back, and for good reason! Bone broth is one of those super foods that not only gives you a ton of nutrients, but also ads good flavor to foods. We like soup, especially in the winter so it’s nice to have a lot of bone broth on hand. In fact, chicken isn’t my favorite type of meat, but we plan to raise meat chickens mostly so we can have their bones for broth! We have struggled a bit with making bone broth in the past and have only made it when we have enough bones to make a good batch. However, we’ve developed a good system that works well for us and I want to share how we get multiple uses out of those bones instead of just tossing them!

How to Slaughter an Animal When it’s Difficult
For me, one of the most difficult parts of homesteading has been slaughtering and butchering our own animals. I was certainly not raised as a vegan, or vegetarian. In fact I grew up eating meat quite often. However, I was taught to value life. Hunting was very common and normal in the culture I grew up in. My grandparents and some of my aunts/uncles hunted for deer and elk and used venison for a large portion of their food source. However, I didn’t ever have that experience growing up. With the exception of fish, I had never killed an animal until I was an adult. At this point in my life I have I have both hunted, and slaughtered many animals for food. Now we are veggie lovers in my family and don’t eat a ton of meat, but we do value good quality meat. Also, I can’t forget bone broth! We LOVE having bone broth on hand! Meat can be a very valuable food source and we don’t ignore that.
Now that I have I have slaughtered and butchered my own animals for several years, I would like to share some thoughts and experience to hopefully help