I estimate about half a jar to add chicken to a bean soup or vegetable soup or something, and a full jar for chicken soup. I've also got stock in the fridge I'm going to can tomorrow - all the bones, skin and fat from the chicken, plus celery, carrots, onions, and spices (including oregano and basil from my own garden), boiled way down and strained.
We had stocked up on chicken before starting to sign up for Angelfood every month, and now we have more than I can use. Frozen, it will NEVER get used - too much work. But in jars, after one incredibly long day of de-boning, it's as easy as opening a can. We're getting split breasts next month - what do you DO with those, except boil for soup? So I'll be canning a bunch again. This is SO much fun!
When I was little, I thought it'd be fun to be Donna Reed. Okay, not when I was LITTLE, when I was LITTLE we didn't have a television. But you know, junior high or so, I thought that'd be so cool. Have the house always clean, dinner cooked, laundry done... Seriously, I thought she had the easiest (HA HA HA) job ever. Nowadays, I think my housewifely role model is more Caroline Ingalls. (As in Laura Ingalls' mom? Little House on the Prairie - the books, not the tv show?) My house may not be clean, my laundry may not be done, but if we're snowed in tomorrow, we've got food "put by" in the pantry!
And after a day of playing Caroline Ingalls (while my jars were processing, I used more than five gallons of aquarium water to water my plants, gee THAT was fun), I am beat!
2 comments:
That stock sounds GOOD.
We learned from Nourishing Traditions (by Sally Fallon) that we should add a couple Tbsp. vinegar to the pot, it helps draw minerals out of the bones. And let it boil for hours. Good stuff.
At the Farmer's Market, Bear Creek Farms sells chicken feet, advertised as great for stock--I just can't bring myself to buy a bunch of chicken feet, though. I'd rather enjoy the rest of the bird, then make stock from the scraps.
I'll add vinegar next time I do chicken - it doesn't alter the taste? That should be interesting. Thanks!
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