Re-Stocking Chicken Stock for the Pantry - by Sunscape

I needed to make room in the freezer for more meals, and I had three turkey carcasses, chicken bones and feet, plus many bags of vegetable scraps that were taking up an entire shelf.

Since it is so cold outside and raining off and on, I decided to pull out the large roaster and get some stock started. I put all the frozen carcasses and veggie scraps in and covered them with water.

I had to prep the chicken feet before simmering them in water to clean any impurities before adding them to the roaster.

I let the stock cook for 26 hours before I started removing all the scraps and bones.

It took a bit of work to strain all that liquid through the netting, but I did catch a lot of debris. For the final strain, I added a thick layer of cheesecloth to catch whatever went through the netting. Once that was done, I brought the stock to a rolling boil while the jars were heating in the oven.

I wish you could smell the wonderful aroma. It certainly is so much better than any stock you purchase from the grocery store, no comparison.

Into the pressure canner went the first 9 pint jars at 11 lbs of pressure for 20 minutes. It took all afternoon to get through three different batches. The quart jars had to be processed for 25 minutes.

I ended up with 10 pints and 9 quarts to put in the pantry. It was a long afternoon keeping an eye on the pressure canner, but oh boy, it will be so worth the effort. Do any of you enjoy making your own stock? I know Pam @goldenoakfarm does, and she inspires me to continue making it from scratch.

While they were processing, I took the time to de-clutter a few of the drawers in my server. It never ceases to amaze me how much stuff one can accumulate over the years. I've been working on getting rid of things that hardly get used. Hopefully, my kids will appreciate not having to go through 60+ years of stuff. lol