In winter, kitchens slow down. They simmer. They use what they have and try not to waste anything that still has something to give.
That’s where bone broth comes in. It’s a practical decision. When you cook with whole animals, the bones aren’t scraps. They’re where the next pot begins.
At Red Shirt Farm Market, Bobbie Jo makes our bone broth the old-fashioned way: bones, water and time. The pot goes on early and stays there for hours. No shortcuts, no powders.
The bones come from pasture-raised animals at Square Roots Farm, right here in town. Using the whole animal is old cooking, and sensible cooking.
Cooked this way, broth gains body. It thickens slightly when it cools, and it tastes round and savory, not thin or salty. That texture is gelatin, which comes out of the bones and connective tissue during the long simmer. Nothing is added.
People ask whether bone broth is “good for you.” The honest answer is that it’s real food. Long-simmered broth carries protein, minerals and amino acids out of the bones and into the pot. Mostly, though, it’s comforting. A warm mug on a cold day steadies things.
How people use it
If you’ve never had it, this is how many of our customers use it:
Sipped warm from a mug, like a savory tea
As the base for soups, stews and braises
To cook grains or beans
Kept on hand for nights when cooking feels like too much
Lately there’s a lot of interest in collagen, usually powdered and stirred into smoothies or coffee. Collagen comes from connective tissue: bones, joints, cartilage. For most of human history, kitchens got it by simmering pots like this one. When broth cooks slowly, the collagen dissolves into the liquid and becomes the gelatin that gives it that feel, along with the minerals that came out of the bones.
We have fresh, house-made bone broth in the fridge this week, and we’ll keep it stocked through the winter.
Soup stock, bones and winter vegetables are in the farm store. For more to put in the pot, see winter squash beyond butternut and what’s in the Asian greens mix. More from the farm is in Field Notes.
