Bone broth bouillon, and intuitive interconnectivity
3 years ago, I started eating meat after being vegetarian for over a decade. I really just woke up and knew I needed to do make that change.
Nervous about how my hypersensitive bodymind would react, I introduced meat very slowly, starting with bone broth because it would be easiest to digest. I questioned whether it was a necessary move- I would be setting off my gut microbiome and immune response and could make myself sick. But that period ended up being rich with the awe and excitement of new flavors, textures, and smells, and my body began to feel stronger and more vital. I still do.
I grew up eating meat with my family, so it made sense that my body would respond well to reintegration of animal-based foods. But I kept wondering, why now?
Then in 2022, I received an artist grant that changed the way I could hold resource. In 2023 was commissioned for 2 huge community-based projects, graduated from herb school, renamed/reclaimed my practice (Dirt & Free Herbal Arts), and transitioned out of Freedom Fighter Herbs - an effort I had poured 3 years of myself into. I said yes to creative collaborations with several of my friends, and we moved through conflict together. My partner and I opened our relationship. I decided to leave Chicago. In many ways it wasn’t the year I was expecting, but I felt ready to navigate the responsibility that came with such growth.
An early lesson I received from my teacher, Karen M. Rose, was the importance of nourishing myself first. Reflecting on this, I feel how my animal body was called to the nourishment of our animal kin.
There’s a reason we call it a “gut feeling.” Our digestive system is directly connected to the nervous system via the vagus nerve, and highly responsive to both internal and external stimulation down to the level of bacteria and other microorganisms, which we constantly create, exchange, waft, and house, reminding us that we’re not as separate as we might be conditioned to believe. We have so many sayings like this - “bone tired,” “fried nerves,” “heart break,” “daily grind” that refer to a feeling but also curiously describe physiological processes.
When we follow an intuitive sense, or the seemingly mysterious ways “the body knows,” huge shifts in capacity and trust are made possible for all our relations. Intuition is an affirmation of interconnectivity.
Not everything the body knows comes with such a simple response as adding meat back into your diet. Sometimes the body’s request is (like medicine can be) harder to receive, or can take longer to act on. This is where community comes in, and where the herbs and other beings, our elders on this planet, can support us in staying present, sensitive, adaptable, and nourished on the journey. From micro to macro - we need each other!
Questions for us:
How does your body communicate a need for change?
What does your intuition feel like?
Who supports you moving through change?
What can you do to nourish yourself right now?
Above: Veggie scraps, herbs, bones, and water in a slow cooker
24-hour beef bone broth
Bone broth is densely nutritious, especially rich in gelatin, which is cooked collagen. Collagen supports our connective tissue, from joints and lubrication for “stiffness”, to skin elasticity, to healthy hair and nails, to the lining of organs including sealing the gut. Bone broth can be a warming, easily digested menstrual phase “food as medicine”, or to fortify folks recovering from surgery or illness.
In the oven, roast about 4 lbs soup bones at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, chop any veggies you want to add to your bone broth like carrots, celery, onion, garlic. Throughout the year I freeze organic veggie scraps and herb stems for broths, and supplement that with any fresh veggies I have on hand. Aromatic herbs like thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, parsley are great flavoring and infuse their antimicrobial goodness to the broth as well.
Into a slow cooker, add veggies, herbs, spices, roasted bones and their drippings, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add filtered water to cover the bones and heat on the low setting for 24 hours, checking occasionally to add water to cover the bones if needed. After 24 hours, strain out any solids. Store in the fridge for 5-7 days, in the freezer indefinitely, or make bone broth bouillon!
Above: Heart-shaped bone broth bouillon gummies
Bone broth bouillon (learned from Tara at Slowdown Farmstead)
Add bone broth to a wide, shallow pan and simmer until it becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour the precious liquid into candy moulds and let cool in the fridge for a few hours, during which time the gelatin in the bone broth will set! These bouillon gummies can be stored in the fridge and used to flavor or deglaze, or just plopped into hot water for sipping. My favorite part is they make bone broth travel friendly!