Sirloin and White Hominy Stew

I can be a very lazy cook sometimes.  This morning I grabbed a few packages of frozen bone in sirloin steak from the freezer and plopped them in the slow cooker.  I piled on a diced onion, some gelatin, some tomatoes and green chilies, a handful of salt and a small chunk of bacon grease.  (You just can't go wrong with the aroma of bacon.)  Nothing was measured.

I got curious and added a can of white hominy.  Never had it before, smells like a soggy tortilla.  I wanted to know if it would be good for power outage food.  After cooking on high for a couple hours, I checked for "pull apart."  Pull apart is when the meat just pulls off the bone and the bones are used for broth one more time, given to the dog (depends on the bone and the dog) or the chickens/garden.  It needed a little longer as not all the meat was submerged, so the top pieces were still clingy.  An hour or so later and the meat fell off  while I removed the bones with my tongs.

So hominy in this dish kind of reminds me of bland, mini gnocchi....more of a soft texture than a taste. The sirloin is butter tender, but less interesting after the tongue.  Ummm...and I over did it on the salt a tad, so corrected with a little sugar and cream of tartar and .....Bingo!  It all came together just right.

Hmmmm....I bet some pineapple would substitute just fine for the sugar/cream of tartar flavor wise......

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Beef Tongue Tacos and Broth

The dogs are so NOT getting the tongues anymore.
 
I don't know why it took me so long to get around to cooking one. Tongue is so tasty and flavorful...now I'm wanting mutant animals so I can get more than one tongue per steer.  And the broth from the skin...wow...wow....ummmm, wow!

There are quite a few methods for preparing tongue.  I got impatient and used the pressure cooker.  It was a 1.35 lb tongue and I cooked it at 8 lbs of pressure for a half hour.  I used a trivet and about a half cup of water on the bottom.  I used the natural release method.

While the meat was cooking, I heated the coconut oil for deep frying some white corn tortillas.  While that was heating, I dissolved some gelatin/sugar/cream of tartar/salt in some diced tomatoes and chilies.  The tongue is a high gelatin muscle, like rib eye, but I always like to make sure I am getting enough.

When the pressure was out of the pressure cooker, I grabbed the tongue with some tongs and ran it under some cold water.  When it is cool enough, the skin is SUPPOSED to just release.  I guess I was too impatient again and ended up cutting it off until I got to the tip.  The skin at the tip pulled right off with ease.  I diced the meat into small cubes and put it in with the tomatoes.  In hind sight, it would have been down right decedent to fry them up a little first, fajita-ish, then put them in the sauce.

The only thing needed now was the taco "shells".  I tried "draping" the tortillas on the end of a wooden spoon.  They didn't drape well and the hot oil actually made the sides float up.  Then I tried tongs, holding onto them on one half while pressing them against the side of the pot.  That worked better, but then they puffed up a lot while being held under.  I stopped at 2 tortillas per person.  They weren't pretty but it's the thought that counts, right?

Ok, so the end product was a fresh fried tortilla, yummy meat topping and a glop of sour cream.  A fabulously messy meal that we all enjoyed immensely!

But that's not the end......

No, now I had this delicious smelling liquid at the bottom of my pressure cooker and tongue scraps, mostly skin, but some meat on there too.  So out comes the gallon bag of frozen onion skins and leftover bones/gristle from other meals.  I took the trivet out and emptied the contents of the bag into the pressure cooker.  I added water and some vinegar and salt to 2/3 full.  It's a 6 quart cooker.  I brought it to pressure and cooked for 45 minutes according to the instructions.  I let it the pressure come back down naturally and strained the big stuff out  of the broth with a slotted spoon into a strainer over the pot.

Total yield 3/4 of a gallon of double strength, very gelatinous broth.

The broth has become a simple potato soup, sausage and potato soup, and potato and cheese soup.

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Slow Cooked Pepsi Pig Ribs

Pepsi BBQ Sauce
1 can Pepsi throwback
1 cup gelatin
1 cup pizza, spaghetti or tomato sauce
1/4-1/2 cup Gulden's mustard
1 TBS cream of tartar
1 TBS sea salt
2 TBS coconut oil


4-5 lb rack of ribs
(This was Sally's side, tons of meat and tiny bones.)

Rice or mashed potatoes for absorbing extra sauce.

1. Preheat oven to 450*F.
2. Grease broiler pan with coconut oil to make clean up easier.
3. Combine ingredients for sauce.
4. Slather ribs with BBQ sauce.
5. Place ribs fat side up on broiler pan.
6. Put in oven and immediately turn down to 170-190*F setting on oven. 
7. Cook for 9 hours or so. (This makes a great set it and forget it meal.)
8. Broil for a few minutes right before serving.

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Hash with Apple Cider Reduction Glaze

Ingredients

2-4 TBS Coconut Oil

Potatoes, diced

Ham, precooked and diced

2 TBS Sea Salt

2 cups Apple Cider

Gelatin

Black Pepper (optional)

Heat the coconut oil in the pan, I used the leftover oil saved from cooking the ham the previous day.  Dice the cleaned or peeled potatoes and start them cooking.  Use enough to fill the pan, yet leave room for the amount of ham desired.  I used a 60/40 ratio of potatoes to ham to start with, as the potatoes cook down.    Add salt.  Dice the ham and add to potatoes when the potatoes are mostly cooked through. Add pepper, if desired.  I had some leftover Spiced Apple Cider made with apricot and orange juice, so used that with extra gelatin added.  Pour the Apple Cider/gelatin mix to the Hash and let bubble gently on medium or lower for about 10-15 minutes. You can stir if you want, but I didn't...just set the timer and did other things.  

Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

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Piggy Spanish Rice

A yummy twist on Rice Cooker Spanish Rice....

BACON! 
Well, actually, cured jowls...you know....pig cheeks. ;)
Pork jowl is shorter than bacon anyway, but I still cut them up smaller before cooking.  I pan fried the bite sized pieces in their own fat at about "egg" temperature for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice. We like our bacon with most of the fat rendered out but still meaty, on the chewy side, not crumbly.

I left out the additional fat and backed off the salt...the milk fed, homegrown, sugar cured jowls provide plenty of both.  Everything else is the same.  I did use a fruit based salsa instead of a cilantro based salsa, just for fun.  A huge hit!


Ingredients: Makes about 8 servings
2 cups Broth
4 TBS Beef gelatin
1 tsp Cream of tartar
.5 tsp Salt
a few dashes liquid minerals (optional)
1 cup Salsa
4 scoops Rice (rice cooker scoop is about 3/4 of a cup of actual rice)
Water to 4 cup fill line
.5-1 lb cooked bacon or jowl with grease

1. Put broth in pot of rice cooker and sprinkle with powdered ingredients, so gelatin can soak up some liquid.
2. When soaked, put rice and salsa into pot and stir.
3. Fill to 4 cup line marked on pot with water (or add extra broth).  
4. Add cooked jowl and corresponding grease.
5. Set to Cook.
6. When rice switches to "keep warm" setting, fluff and serve.

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Ingredient Spotlight : Tomatoes

Apple Beef Stew - GF

Ingredients: (Fits a 4 quart crock pot)
Coconut oil
2 lbs frozen grass fed beef, homegrown and cubed
Salt
8 TBS-16 TBS Unflavored beef gelatin (I just eyeballed a cups worth)
RIPE Apples, peeled, cored and sliced (enough to fill pot)
Dash of allspice or cinnamon (Optional)
ACV

Fill the crock pot in order (leave out the vinegar) and cook on high for a few hours, then turn down when it starts bubbling, if you are home. If you are gone for the day, turn in low and forget about it.  This took about 4 hours of cooking on high plus 1 hour at low while we finished processing wood.  The vinegar was added to the individual bowls and added a nice balance of flavor.
Serve over rice or mashed potatoes, if desired.

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Cranberry Coconut Stew with Beef

Cranberry Coconut Stew with Beef  (8+ servings)
(fits a 4 quart slow cooker)

2 lbs Homegrown, grass fed beef, cubed 
1 package OG frozen Cranberries 
1 can Pineapple with juice
1 can Golden Star Coconut milk (no stabilizers or fillers)
8-10 TBS Beef Gelatin
8-10 TBS Cane sugar with Cream of tartar
Salt to taste 
1-2 TBS Green Thai Curry paste (optional)
1 Onion, sliced (optional)

I had asked for some GOAT stew meat to be brought up from the freezer...I guess the lighting was poor or something.  I prefer to use organic cranberries because the non organic I can get locally have all had an unpleasant bitterness I don't care for.  The price isn't much different because I buy them AFTER season and hoard.

I layered the beef on the bottom of the slow cooker, with the cranberries filling in around the still frozen blocks.  I mixed the dry ingredients together first, then sprinkled over the top.  The canned items were added next, with the curry paste and onion being an after thought.  I like the balance of sweet and tart and found that the salt counter balanced the sour as well.

There's enough acid in the broth that the gelatin stays fairly liquid even in the fridge.  Leftovers pour out of the jar instead of having to be carved out.

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Brats with Fried Apples GF

A friend of mine and I went Orchard hopping the other day.  I picked up some Jonathan's, Golden Delicious and fresh cider at one place, some wonderful Suncrisps at another and really liked the Braeburns at another, but forgot to actually buy some.

Brats and Fried Apples
Brats (defrosted in a bowl of cool water)
Suncrisp Apples
Coconut Oil
Gelatin
Sugar/Cream of tartar mix
Salt
Apple Cider

The apples were peeled, cored and sliced on the apple peeler, then cut in half to make them bit sized.  They were cooked in some coconut oil until tender, then I mixed the dry ingredient together and sprinkled over cooked apples.  The apples weren't very juicy, so I added some apple cider to thin.  When the gelatin mix was thoroughly blended, I turned the burner off and started on the brats.

In a separate pan with a generous portion of coconut oil for frying, I cooked the brats until golden brown on both sides...about 15 minutes.

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Mochanoff (Beef Stroganoff with Coffee/Cocoa Sauce) GF

I was wandering around online and found a delicious looking recipe for a Beef/Coffee Stew.  I also had a large portion of fresh mushrooms that needed to get used.  We are experiencing a bit of cold spell* but Soup/Stew was vetoed...so I decided to sneak the coffee into some Stroganoff instead.


*Ok, it's not THAT cold but 60's at night and 70's during the day IS cold compared to 100+ weather...I like it!

Here is my basic recipe:  Beef Stroganoff.   I doubled all the ingredients because of the amount of mushrooms I had, except the meat.  My skillet was practically overflowing with mushrooms, so I cooked the meat separately in the wok, using this recipe:  Deep Fried Beef.
I substituted the Sugar/COT with a 2:1 cane sugar/cocoa powder mix when I remembered that coffee and cream of tartar taste absolutely horrid together.  I mixed the dry ingredients together (gelatin, cocoa, cane sugar, salt) then sprinkled it slowly, while stirring, over the already sautéed mushrooms.  It looked like fudge with mushrooms. ;)
I added coffee to thin the sauce, about a cup or so, then the sour cream, then the meat.  The noodle were done right when I was finishing the sauce,  so I added a little extra salt and served everyone a small portion (just in case) over penne rice noodles.  It was a well received.

Something was missing for me though, I couldn't put my finger on it.  Then I remembered, I usually add vinegar....

I added a few dashes of Balsamic Vinegar to my bowl and mixed in.  Oh yeah....it all just came together.  Sweet, savory, salty, sour in balance.....and extremely filling.  Everyone used the balsamic for the second pass and agreed, it was even better.

I can totally see this as a topping for mashed potatoes or use goat meat for a shepherd's pie filling.

If I was going to use a crockpot/slow cooker for this recipe, I would add a layer of coconut oil on the bottom and wipe it up the sides a little to prevent sticking.  I would then add the rest in this order:

Beef

Mushrooms

Onions and/or Red pepper flakes (if using)

Dry ingredients mixed with Coffee (as a paste)

Vinegar

I would cover and cook it low and slow for 8 hours or so, then turn it off and add the sour cream and correct for seasoning right before serving.

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Ingredient Spotlight: Cocoa

Homegrown Pork Shoulder with Fresh Roasted Peaches

Pork Shoulder with Fresh Peaches

Ingredients:

2 TBS Cane Sugar
(Brown or White)
2 TBS Cream of Tartar
10 TBS Unflavored Beef Gelatin
1 TBS Sea Salt
Dash of Allspice

1  cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup Ceres brand Guava Juice
(blends well with ACV)

2.34 lb pork shoulder (milk fed)
5 peaches, skinned and halved.



Defrost in water and/or bring meat to room temperature. Mix the dry ingredients together until there are no clumps.  Add liquid while stirring and let set.  Line the bottom of a roasting pan or deep dish with peach halves.  Place roast on top.  Cover peaches and roast with gelatin  mixture.  Bake at 300* for at least 90 minutes. Let rest.  (90 minutes is the upper limit on my toaster oven.  We set it cooking, went for a stroll, came back in about 3 hours.)   Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

This is a tangy dish with a touch of sweet...catered to an adult palate.  Young ones might appreciate some additional sugar to cut the tart.  Ketchup Boy  managed to voluntarily put away multiple servings over the course of the weekend without adding extra sugar (something he's not shy about).... yet never would admit he liked it. Go figure...

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All in One Loaf

I have been craving meatloaf for a while now but my last attempt ended up a lousy meatloaf...but an excellent sloppy joe/nachos type meal.   Mixing gelatin IN the loaf just didn't work.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
4 medium sized potatoes
1 lb grass fed ground beef
1/4 cup beef gelatin
3/4 cup ketchup
Sea salt
Coconut oil


I poured a thin layer of coconut oil on the bottom for "greasing" the pan, then swished it around a little to get it up the sides.  I peeled the potatoes, the sliced them thin into half moons.  4 potatoes filled the loaf pan to about the halfway point.  If your's are bigger or smaller, adjust accordingly.  I salted lightly in between layers of potatoes.  The burger was added next.  My meat came from by back yard, but use the best you can find and afford.  I was feeling a bit no frills today, so just plopped it in and spread it to cover the potatoes.  I mixed the gelatin into the ketchup and spread the resulting paste mostly evenly over the top.  As it heats, the gelatin will liquefy and spread itself out.

It's cooking right now in the toaster oven at 300* for an hour or until the potatoes are tender.

Variations are endless.  I used Hunt's sugar sweetened ketchup this time, but can envision adding a little horseradish for a cocktail sauce topping, or mixed with mustard and sweetened for a BBQ sauce.  Any ground meat would work, or a blend.  Basil comes to mind. Or paprika and sour cream instead of a tomato based sauce, maybe some horseradish too.  Apples instead of potatoes with an orange chutney for the top.  Of course, you could make a lasagna size version for more people or leftovers too....or in a crock pot?

Hmmmm...let's see how this one turns out first, shall we?

Yummy Failure - Neufchatel

Neufchatel isn't supposed to squeak, is it?

This is my first attempt at a non Mozzarella cheese.  Well.............it STILL wants to be Mozzarella!
It tastes like a raw, non stretched version of my Mozz.  Yummy, but not at all what I had in mind.  I used this recipe as a guideline, kinda sorta:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09337.html

We have been hot and dry for a long time and the pasture is crispy.  This morning's milking wasn't enough for a full batch, so I halved it.  I strained 8 cups of the "still warm from the cow" milk into a large glass measuring cup with pour spout.  The dog got the rest of the morning's milking.  Why? She's pretty adorable and it saves cleaning a jar later.  I stirred in 4 TBS of 2 day clabber that had already formed a soft curd.  If you look closely, you can see the white specks in the cheese...it didn't quite blend all the way.

The next step was to add the rennet, which is where I got into trouble, I think.  It was supposed to take about 30 minutes to gel and it gelled almost immediately, in a few stirs of the spoon.  I followed the rest of the steps as closely as I could.  It became obvious I was not going to get the intended results when I tried to stir the salt in.  I don't think you are supposed to have to chop it up to mix.

I used my plastic colander on top of a 2 cup measuring cup and butter muslin to strain and the measuring cup on top as the weight and waited 2 hours.  The drippings were very milky colored and came to about 1 cup, so I estimate my yield at about 1.5 cups of cheese.

I came across this recipe that calls for 1/2 the amount of rennet:
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/neufchatel/neufchatel.htm

I suspect the freshness of the milk has a lot to do with the discrepancy of rennet needed.  Or maybe it's my cow?

This cheese is begging for a fresh tomato....hmmmm....like a thick slice off a Cherokee Purple.....a little salt and freshly ground pepper.......

I wonder if it would melt?

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The Classic Cheese Sandwich updated

A cheese sandwich is kind of boring...yet is so satisfying.  I became hooked on them on my first real babysitting job (non sibling and good money) many, many.....many years ago.  It has been very hot lately and cooking  is as appealing as teeth pulling right now.  Nourishing foods that can go directly from fridge to plate are coveted. (We made an exception for one of the optional ingredients initially, but it became a fridge item soon after cooking.)

Old Version as taught to me by the kids I was in charge of:
2 slices of bread
Mayo on BOTH slices
Mild Orange Cheddar Cheese slices to cover bread
Cut in half, NOT diagonal (these things matter, you know.)

New Version as dictated by an adult palate
2 slices of bread
slathering of mayo on one slice
slathering of mustard on the other (optional, may use mayo for both)
sprinkle of cream of tartar
sprinkle of cane sugar (optional, depends on the mayo used)
sprinkle of sea salt
Raw, white, sharp cheddar  to cover bread

Opened face cheese sandwich with bacon and nectarine

Optional ingredients:
baked bacon strips
tomato or cucumber
bread and butter pickles or dill slices
fruit of choice
salted or pickled beet slices

I used Brunkow raw milk "Aged cheddar" in a 5 pound block which makes for square slices that fit perfectly on the bread.

The mayo was Hain's Safflower Mayo (no soy or HFCS) instead of homemade because I needed to use it up.  Once it's gone, it's gone.

The mustard was Gulden's spicy brown mustard.  I grew up with Gulden's and now a days, it's one of the only ones I can find that hasn't been watered down.  Seriously...even "gourmet" mustards are now sporting water as one of the top 3 ingredients.

Bread was a sourdough spelt from Berlin Natural bakery....just spelt, water and sea salt.  I don't make my own bread....not for one loaf a year.

The bacon is homegrown and baked in a  350* oven on a broiler pan for 25 minutes, not preheated. I used the oven instead of frying because I think that helps make flatter bacon and we don't need the extra fat in the summer.  We will save it to flavor a cool weather dish someday.

I used a nectarine for mine because it needed using and made an open faced sandwich because I only had one piece of bread left.  The sandwiches were more popular than expected...not a bad problem to have.

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Nectarine Spritzer

I picked up some wonderfully smelly (in a good way) nectarines recently.  I was blog hopping and came across this recipe for fruity spritzer:  http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/2011/07/fruity-spritzer  It sounded wonderful, but no peach nectar here.

So I cut up a nectarine and plopped in in the food processor, added some cane sugar and cream of tartar and some sea salt.  I turned it on and added orange juice to my desired thickness and added a glug of aloe vera, just because.  I split a can of club soda between the glasses and poured the blend on top at the side of the glass.  This makes the two liquid turn over each other and blending better than if poured in the middle.  I couldn't find any strawberries in the upstairs freezer, so I grabbed a baggie of homegrown wild gooseberries for "ice cubes".  Yum!  They only thing I would change is maybe add a squeeze of lemon for a little more tart.

Nectarine Spritzer
Nectarine
Orange Juice (not from concentrate)
Cane sugar/C of T  
Sea Salt
Club soda or Seltzer water
Frozen fruit for chilling
Fresh Squeezed Lemon or Lime (optional)

Mom's Red Sauce

Heat tall sauce pan or small stock pot to medium heat
Add:
1 pound homegrown ground beef or pork or both.
(I guess that would make 2 lbs then)

Coconut oil
(keeps it from sticking to the bottom of the pan while you try to cook the still frozen meat you forgot to defrost ahead of time)

4 fingered pinch of salt

When the meat is browned and looks at least 90% cooked, Add:

A large can of tomato puree (fewest additives) or diced tomatoes or tomato what ever variety you prefer or 2 small cans.

A handful of dried basil
a few dashes of red pepper flakes (optional)

4-8 TBS Unflavored Beef gelatin
(use more if you use more meat)

Balsamic Vinegar (optional)
Cane Sugar/Brown Sugar/Molasses/Cream of Tartar (optional)

Salt to taste

Serve a large glop over a fist size amount of pasta
(We like Mrs Leeper's Rice ribbon noodles, but haven't found it again)

Keeps well in the fridge for leftovers.  The gelatin will be firm when cool, so just slice off what you need for the next meal and reheat.

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Piggies...for fun and food

Pan Fried Ham Steak (the ham bone is smaller than my thumb)

 Our motivation for getting pigs was for good, clean meat.  Our motivation for continuing to keep pigs is for entertainment....with food as an added bonus.   The remaining boys are going to their appointment tomorrow.  We will lure them into the truck this evening and head out early in the AM.  We will miss their antics...but we will be needing the buck pens for the bucks in about 2 weeks.

We ate the above pictured ham for breakfast with some sweet and sour gelatin sauce over rice.  I just cooked it quick over medium heat in a little coconut oil.  

Taking a bath

The runt

"Ham"....every part of his body jiggles

Side by side view shows the size difference

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'Shroom and Tater Scramble

I am liking our food coop more and more.  I can get fresh mushrooms for about half the cost of the grocery store.  I LOVE sautéed mushrooms...they have an amazing ability to infuse themselves with all the flavor you add to the mix.

So this is what I made with an abundance of homegrown eggs, fresh crimini mushrooms and potatoes that need to get used before they sprout.....

Canned potatoes would work in a pinch.

Ingredients:
Coconut oil (medium low heat)
1 small potato per person, sliced
Equal parts mushrooms, halves or quarters
Salt to taste
Chili powder (optional)
1-2 eggs per person

Add ingredients in order listed.  Clean and cut potatoes as the oil is heating and add to pan.  The potatoes will cook as you do the same for the mushrooms. Add the spices and test a potato...adjust as needed.  Add the eggs whole, then scramble in the pan. I like to use 2 eggs for breakfast and 1 egg for a light supper. Mix with other ingredients towards the end of cooking.  Serve when eggs are just firmed, but still moist.

Sweet and Sour Chops with Mushrooms

I found the combination of sweet and salty delightful for breakfast this morning.

Ingredients:
Mushrooms
Coconut oil
Salt
Chili powder (optional)
Leftover Sweet and Sour Sauce
Leftover Pork Chops

In a sauce pan, reheat sweet and sour sauce. Stir as needed.
Heat a wide pan with coconut oil for frying.  Sauté fresh mushrooms adding salt and a dash or two of chili powder, if desired.  When mushrooms are done, set aside on individual plates and cook (or reheat) pork chops in same pan. Add chops to plate and ladle sauce generously over chops.

Enjoy!

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Deep Fried Beef

If you want stew meat that is soft and tender (easy to chew) try deep frying.  We keep a pot of coconut oil on the stove at all times. As an experiment one day, I decided to try frying some stew meat (chuck)  to see if I could cook it quickly without it becoming tough to chew.  It was a tremendous success!  They are tasty as a snack with just salt and a cup of sugar bomb coffee with gelatin or as a complete meal with a sweet and sour gelatin sauce and rice.

Directions:

Heat the oil for frying and cook any sides you might want first (ummm...like french fries.)  Have an appropriate utensil ready.  Take the pieces and individually drop them carefully into the oil.  By the time all of it is in there, they're done! Strain and serve.

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First taste...Milk Fed Ossabaw

Ossabaw Pork Chop

Sally was a lovely gilt, nice lines, good balance....had some more growing to do.  Sally led the charge anytime we we're outside, squealing like they were starving even after they just fed.  Sally made a bee line for any possible weakness in the fence when put in a new paddock.

Sally rushed into the crate intended for "Ham" for transport to the processor.

Sally has gone on to a good home.
Sally is very tasty.



The pigs have 24/7 access to pasture and are fed whole and skimmed milk at least twice a day.  We supplemented with too soft apples as well during the winter.  They mostly eat the grass.  When we had a thaw after a freeze, they'd select the mushiest stuff.  When we got mud, they would dig up the dandelion roots and spit out the tops.  They like new grass when it is first coming up, but seem to prefer the stems over the blades now that the grass is more mature.

The color is gorgeous.  The taste was wonderful, tender and moist.  I haven't eaten a pork chop in 15 years, but I remember them being very dry and bland.  What stood out for me the most was the nature of the fat.  We didn't feed any grain.  The milk was from our own grass fed cows.  The texture of this pork back fat was similar to the denseness of tallow (ruminant fat) but with the "lighter" taste of pork.  I don't usually eat the fat, but render it with the bones to make broth.  This stuff was amazing with just a little salt.  I ate it straight. Wow, yum.

The satisfaction of eating something I have cared for personally definitely added to the experience.

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