Home Made Turkey Stock

When the weather grows cooler, thoughts in the kitchen turn to warm apple pie, roasted pumpkin seeds, and family turkey dinners. But, when the family has eaten that perfect turkey dinner and the leftovers have been made into yummy turkey sandwiches and homey turkey pot pies, what is there left to do, but stew the bones down to a delightful broth. Perfect to stick into the freezer for a quick, delicious, cold-weather soup stock. It is so easy to do, there is no reason not to create and preserve home-made turkey broth.

Let's get started!

Ingredients:

1 Cooked/Picked Turkey
4 Cloves of Garlic, Crushed
4 Carrots in Chunks
3 Celery Stalks in Chunks
2 Onion in Chunks
2 Bay Leaves
4 Sprigs of Thyme
Water

Method:

1. Place the turkey bones, garlic, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, and thyme in a large stock pot. If the turkey doesn't fit completely into the pot immediately, no worries. It will when it cooks down.

2. Fill the pot to within 2 inches from the top with water.

3. Simmer on medium-low for at least 2 hours. The length of time is subjective here. I simmer mine several hours until the stock reduces to about 1/2 the original volume. I also take the time to skim off any impurities that comes to the top while it is simmering.

4. Place a large strainer inside a larger bowl. Carefully pour the contents into the colander and strain out the broth from the cooked vegetables and bones. Discard these, retaining the golden broth.

Strained Broth Cooling

5. When the broth is cool enough, pour it into freezer safe bags or containers. Label the containers with the contents and date and place them into the freezer.

Don't throw out those turkey bones! It is sooo easy to make home made turkey broth. You can add many variations of spices, limited only by your preference and taste. I make mine very basic, so that when I decide to make a soup later, it leaves my options open. And, an added bonus is how wonderful the house smells while this is cooking and for hours afterwards!

Have a great day!
Sonja ♥