Chicken broth: worth its weight in gold

I bought four cans of Swanson chicken broth yesterday because I had totally used up my supply of broth in the deep freeze. Once they were in my cart, I left them there; but I also decided I'd better buy a ten-pound bag of chicken leg quarters and build up my freezer supply. I'd have the canned stuff to use in an emergency, of course. But it's such a poor product, compared to home-made... and much too salty.

I put the ten pounds of chicken in the biggest pot I own; my St. Louis sister-in-law gave it to me years ago, and I wouldn't part with it for any amount of money. I got it simmering, then we went to eat tacos with the next-door sister-in-law; when I came back home, the chicken was done.

I put it on the back porch (it's unheated) to get it cool enough to handle. Then I spent some time de-boning, dicing, and bagging up the meat.

It's somewhat disappointing how little chicken I get from that five-dollar, ten-pound bag, by the time I throw away the bones and skin. About twelve cups total, I think.

chicken fat. Yuck.

I let the broth sit on the back porch overnight so the fat would rise to the top and solidify so I could remove it. My mother is turning over in her grave right now, because she considered the fat the best part. Sorry, Mother. Cliff and I don't need it. Maybe the birds would like it?

(There are those pesky underlines again; ignore them, please. Or click on them if you like, and you'll see the same picture as above.)

I set the pan in the sink, because I'm sloppy and I knew there would be some spills. I wrote amounts on freezer bags; no need to write that it's chicken broth, because that's obvious. No need to date it, because it will be gone within a month anyhow.

This stuff is like pure gold to me. It gives me a wonderful feeling of security. Often if a recipe calls for four cups, I get a two-cup bag out of the freezer and add an equal amount of water. I'm sure it's still better than the canned product, even diluted.

I saved a quart back, because I intend to make squash soup later today.

Sadie got something out of this effort, too:

And what was my husband doing while I did all this?

Blading snow in single-digit temperatures with our brother-in-law's tractor that we're babysitting. Cliff says it's the best tractor for this job.