Make Stock to Freeze & Clean Out Your Freezer!!

Diane my best friend always has said I can make a dollar go further than anyone she has ever known.  Part of this is that I am about 9 maybe 10 years older than she and it was a different time.  Part of it was I was raised by farm people gone to outside of a  small town with enough ground and enough connection to it to continue the old ways.  She was from a professional family and had long been in the city.  It is because I have always done things like this.

Well anyway......I need to make room in the freezer for some strawberries I intend to slice and freeze today.  I had made 5 batches of freezer jam last week from strawberries and they took up a bit of my available room.  So when I need room I take stock of what I have and often am able to use the saved items for a big batch of stock.  There was the turkey carcass I bagged and froze and the packages of backs, necks, and wing tips I had saved and froze.   These will made a beautiful stock to cook and freeze.

Added note:  I always find things I forgot I had and either use them or pitch them!! So it is a good thing to do this every couple of months lest it get too far ahead of you.

Often I buy large beef roasts, cut or grind them myself and keep the trimmings and bones to cook up for a batch of beef stock.  I also use large steak bones from round or porterhouse if I have them to throw into the pot!  My Mother used to use boiling beef for this and that is how I was inspired with this plan. 

So I set out with a really large stock pot for the poultry pieces and a smaller one for the beef. How much I yield is determined to how much I have in the kettle as you want to just cover everything with  water.

Here are the ingredients I used today for each pot:

1 large onion washed bit not peeled
3-4 cloves garlic washed but not peeled
4-6 carrots washed and broken into 3-4" pieces
4 stalks celery washed and broken into 4-5 " pieces, include leaves
1/2 t. whole black peppercorns
1 T. kosher salt
3-4 sprigs fresh summer savory
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
fresh water to cover all

Next I partially covered the pans and set them to come to a boil.  Then turn back the fire to a slow simmer.  I really like to leave this for 24 hours.  I don't have a problem leaving it all night as I am up to check it several times as I am a very light sleeper and don't require  much.

Lastly I strain the luxurious liquid into containers and freeze for another day. Today's yield was 10 quarts.  3 of beef stock and 7 poultry.

By the way the stock and the post was started yesterday, Monday morning and was finished Tuesday, (today) afternoon.