Canning Bone Broth - Prepping for Baby's Arrival

Our youngest daughter's baby is due next month and she wanted to have some meals and other items prepared ahead of time. She especially wanted to have bone broth available because its nourishing and healing properties are perfect for post-partum. Canning broth and all low-acid foods requires using a pressure canner. Since our daughter had not pressure canned on her own before and since I enjoy canning so much, she invited me to come over and help her can the broth.

She started the broth the day before, adding bones, vegetables, and spices to a large stockpot. She covered everything with water, brought it to a boil, added a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to help break down the animal proteins and connective tissues, then turned it down and let it simmer all day. The next day was canning day, so early that morning she put the broth back on the stove to simmer for a few more hours. It is best to let bone broth simmer for a minimum of 12 hours (longer is even better) to extract the minerals and collagen.

I arrived mid-morning with the canner and accessories. While we sterilized the jars, we strained the broth. 

Straining out the solids.

Then we put it back on the stove to bring it to a boil.

Bringing the strained broth to a boil.

Once everything was sterilized and hot, we filled the jars, put them in the canner, and started the pressure canning process. Because I do not pressure can all the time and because I tend to be a bit of a stickler for making sure everything is done according to directions, I always take my Ball Blue Book with me to double (and triple) check processing times, pressure adjustments for altitude, and instructions for properly bringing the canner up to pressure.

Bringing the canner and broth up to temperature.

Once everything was in the canner, we cleaned up the kitchen and pulled the meat off the bones to make BBQ pork. We then enjoyed a nice visit while we waited for the canning process to finish. She ended up with three and a half quarts of broth to enjoy after baby's arrival.

The finished broth.

Next on her agenda is freezer meals and possibly canning beef stew!

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