Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Canned Chicken Stock

Whoa it has been a looonnnnggg time since my last post. A little too long if you ask me. It seems another year has come and gone. It amazes me how time flies when you get older and time seems to stand still when you are young. I was looking at my blog and noticed that I had told you I would post how to can your chicken stock. So here goes. In the last blog post I told you how to make chicken stock in your crockpot. (this is also the same for turkey stock. I always save my turkey carcass from thanksgiving. Then make a batch of turkey stock. I use it the same way as chicken stock.) Now to can your chicken stock you have to have a pressure canner. It is not safe to can in a water bath. So, first you need to put your jars and lids on to boil. This is going to sterilize them. You also want to keep your chicken stock hot. You can do this by leaving it in your crockpot after your strain it. (and wash out your crockpot so none of the things you just strained out get into your stock.
 
 
Next, you will get one of your jars out. Put a funnel in the jar to help your stock to go into the jar and not your counter. Then fill up your jar with stock up to an inch of the top.
 
 
 
Make sure you wipe the lid off with a cloth or paper towel dipped in vinegar. This gets all the particles of stock off the lid to help it seal better. After that put your lid and ring on your jar.
 




 
 
After you have canned all your chicken stock place in your pressure canner per your canner's instructions. Remember to vent for 10 minutes before putting on the weight. You will can your chicken stock at 10 lbs for 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts.
 

 
And voila' you have homemade chicken stock! Till next time have a blessed day and a Happy New Year!

Monday, January 28, 2013

Homemade Chicken Stock

I hope everyone is having a blessed week! I know it has been a while since my last post. What can I say Life Happens! I have something real cool for y'all today. It is easy homemade chicken stock. It is sooooo simple so here goes. Whenever you have chicken (roast chicken, fried chicken, etc.) SAVE the bones! Just put them in a ziplock till you need them. Also save your leftover vegetables. Like the stuff you would usually throw away. Like the outsides of the onions or the ends off celery. Put these in a ziplock. You could even put them in the same ziplock as your bones if you have room. When you are ready to make your stock, get out your crockpot. That's right your crockpot.
Then you put all the bones and vegetables into the crockpot. Once you have done that you put a little bit of Apple Cider Vinegar. I don't measure it I just pour a little bit in it. If you have to measure put 1/2 cup in the crockpot over the bones and vegetables. Let this sit for about 30 minutes. Then you are going to fill the crockpot with water. Next, you going to turn on the crockpot on low and let it cook for 24 hours. I usually just let it run over night till the next evening. After, the 24 hours turn the crockpot off. Then strain the liquid into a bowl. Voila! You now have homemade chicken stock!!! You can store it in the refrigerator, freeze it, or can it. I will show you tomorrow how to can it! Till then I hope you have a blessed day!