Winter is here, let's bring out the stew.

Winter may be officially lurking over a month a way, but yesterday we received our first snow. We celebrated by cooking up a delicious beef stew, letting it simmer all day on the woodstove. We kept it simple by only adding carmelized onions, garlic, burdock root, carrots, and locally raised grass fed organic beef in a base of bone broth soup.

Bone broth is a staple at our house. Here's a short exerpt I from my latest ebook on colds and the flu for www.herbmentor.com

Nourishing Bone Broth
Grandmothers knew best by spoon feeding us this incredibly rich immune system nourisher, and science has now validated this time-honored tradition by verifying this is high in many vitamins and minerals readily absorbable by the body. Bone broth soup is high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur, trace minerals, chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine. Boiling the bones releases gelatin into the broth. (Which is why it hardens slightly when cooled.) Besides nourishing the immune system, gelatin has been found to be useful in the treatment of a long list of diseases including peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, diabetes, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice, and cancer. (Weston Price Foundation). The following recipe can be made without the use of burdock, dandelion, and astragalus, but I highly suggest including them. All help the body maintain health and overcome illness. Astragalus especially supports the immune system – using this in our broth is one of the main ways we support our immune system and stay healthy.

Several bones from poultry or beef (preferably bones that have marrow)
1 T apple cider vinegar (helps to draw out the calcium from the bones)
1 onion coarsely chopped
2 carrots coarsely chopped
2 big pieces of burdock coarsely chopped or a handful of dried root
Several dandelion roots coarsely chopped or a handful of dried root
5-7 slices of dried astragalus root
2 celery ribs coarsely chopped
Handful of herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or oregano

Place everything in a large pot except for the handful of herbs. Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil slowly. Once it is boiling, reduce to a simmer. After awhile you will see some foam forming at the top. Gently skim this off every couple of minutes until the broth runs clear. Add the handful of herbs and simmer for 8-12 hours. When ready, strain off all materials and discard. Store the broth in the fridge or freezer until ready to use for soups, roasts, chili, etc.