3 lbs beef soup bones                            1 stalk of celery

1 Tblsp apple cider vinegar                    1 carrot

3 quarts water                                           1 onion

    Place the beef bones on a shallow roasting pan or foil-lined cookie sheet.  Roast them in a 400 degree oven for about an hour or until they are nice and toasty.  Place the roasted bones in your slow cooker. Fill the slow cooker with about 2 quarts of the water and add the apple cider vinegar.  Let this sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before continuing with the recipe.

   Wash the carrot and celery and cut them into large chunks and place in the slow cooker. You don’t have to peel the carrot, just trim off the stem end if you like. Wash the onion and cut it into quarters or large chunks, again you don’t have to peel it as the skin will add a beautiful color to your finished stock. Fill the slow cooker with enough water to cover the bones and vegetables, cover and turn on to LOW.  Let this mixture cook for 12 to 24 hours. Occasionally check the level of liquid and if needed add a little more water to keep the bones covered.

    The longer you can let it cook the richer the stock will be. The real benefits come when you’ve leached all of the minerals possible from the bones and marrow.   This gives your stock true healing properties that give sustenance to your body. Gelatin-rich broths contain calcium magnesium and potassium and promote healthy digestion.

   When you are finished cooking let the stock cool until you are able to handle it safely. Pour it through a strainer into a large bowl and discard all of the solids. (You can slide any marrow left out of the bones and feed it to your dog or cat as a special treat.) Put the remaining broth into freezer-safe containers.   I like to freeze a variety of sizes from ice cube size to quart size. This insures I will always have the right amount for any recipe I make. Beef broth is fairly greasy so if you like you can chill the broth and then skim off the fat that rises to the top before you date it and freeze it. If you are using bones from grass-fed animals the fat will be extra-nutritious and you can save it for other uses but if you just don’t like fat you can take it off.