So the weather has turned again, the plants are happy but the people aren’t. Except me, I’m happy because I can share this ‘out of season’ idea with you.

Make Homemade Organic Chicken Stock for less than 2 dollars

 That’s right, it has all the buzz words we look for these days.

• Homemade

• Organic

• Chicken Stock (or broth)

• Under $2

Insanity. How? 

FREEZE EVERYTHING

Keep the end bits and peelings of your vegetables that you would usually throw out.Think:

• Celery or Onion or Carrot ends

• Celery leaves (you can also use these in salads)

• Beetroot leaves (you can also use these in salads)

• Brocoli leaves

• The skin of Carrots, Zucchini, Potatoes ANYTHING

• The ends of Tomatoes we like to chop off

All these ‘bits’ still hold nutrients and shouldn’t be binned.  Do you remember that shocking statistic released earlier this year? NSW households throw away more than $2.5 billion worth of edible food per year.

If your veggies are starting to look a bit unappealing for salads etc. Don’t leave them in the fridge until it’s too late and you’re forced to throw them out. Pop them in a sandwich bag and into the freezer, they’re perfect for soups and stews. 

DON’T THROW OUT YOUR CHICKEN BONES

Everyone roasts a chook or other another cut of meat every now and again. Don’t throw your bones out, this is what Chicken Stock IS MEANT TO BE MADE FROM.

Once you start making stock with real bones, you will never look at the dried cube or bottled stock from the supermarket again. Most of all it’s actually quite expensive to buy, not to mention the ingredients they use to make it?

Making stock with roasted chicken bones adds another layer of flavour to the stock. It’s nuttier and a richer flavour too.

I have written about making stock before, but I wanted to share with you how cheap it can actually be to make using scraps that the average household usually throws out. 

DID YOU KNOW

Your freezer runs more efficiently when it’s full. So fill it up with leftover Chicken bones and veggies. And once you’ve made your stock, freeze small portions of your stock for later use. 

YOU CAN USE CHICKEN STOCK

• As a base for soup or Pho or Laksa – garnish with light and flavour filled toppings like Coriander, Chilli, Lime juice

• To sautee Vegetables instead of using oils

• Add to Curries to enhance flavour

• Drink as a nourishing broth that soothes digestion, calms nerves and warms from the inside out

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE ORGANIC CHICKEN STOCK FOR LESS THAN 2 DOLLARS 

Ingredients

• 1 x Chicken carcass

• Frozen ends from your Celery, Onions, Beetroot leaves, Carrots, Tomatoes

• You can also add some extra veggies for flavour, I recommed 2 x Carrots – $0.681 x Brown Onion – $0.45

• 50mL Coconut oil – $0.42

• 50mL White Vinegar – $0.03

• 5g Black Peppercorns – $0.14

• 1 x Sprig of thyme / rosemary – I’m assuming you can grab Thyme from your own garden or your neighbours.

• 2.5 litres of water

• 1 large pot (3 litre capacity)

 This is totalling your 2 Litres of stock at $1.72

Process

1. Grab your frozen veggies and chicken bones from freezer

2. Put your pot over a low heat

3. Chop your additional veggies if you are adding them

4. Brown the Onion in pan

5. Add frozen veggies and Chicken bones, with Vinegar, Peppercorns, Thyme

6. Add 2.5 litres of waterNOTE – bones MUST be covered

7. Bring to boil, then simmer for minimum 2 hours

* obviously these calculations are a rough guide it. This post is more about the fact we throw out too much food that we think is ‘waste’ – when we can get a whole other weeks worth of meals out of it. What a bargain!

Enjoy and keep warm.