While picking through a chicken carcass after making broth a few months ago, I discovered something - my preschooler daughter LOVES to eat chicken rib bones! What a great way to get an extra boost in nutrients and minerals. My daughter now asks for the little bones anytime I make broth, and she pretends to be a tiger while eating them.If you want to give this a try, make sure you use bones that have been simmered for a long time, which makes them soft and chewable. If the bones are soft enough to easily snap with your fingers, then they are ready for eating. Season them with a bit of salt and enjoy!
Of course, the bones should be chewed well before they are swallowed, but this is no problem so long as the bones were cooked for a long time. I won't say that this is an epicurean snack, but it is worth a try considering the bones would end up in the trash anyway. Even if you do not like the bones, you may find that children raised on a nutrient-dense diet truly enjoy the flavor. Give it a try!
This post is part of Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet, Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade, and Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist!
12 comments:
If only my daughter would grow some teeth to chew on some bones!
that is so cool! thanks for sharing, i will have to try this with my two year old son.
Wow! I never would have thought of this. I seem to remember that Nourishing Traditions cookbook suggests giving the soft chicken bones after making broth to one's pet, so they must be safe once they get nice and soft. Thanks for sharing at Monday Mania this week!
Yes, Nourishing Traditions does recommend giving the soft bones to pets. We used to give them to our cats (but now we don't have any pets besides a fish).
My 3-year old loves to eat the bones when I'm picking the carcass! Can't get the other 3 boys to try them, but at least one is getting some extra goodness. We give what's left to our chickens, and they go crazy over it.
I did this today with the softest bones, and all the meat/skin/veggie leftovers from broth making. My 3 kids scarfed the entire platter down like greedy little cave people, LOL. I started craving the bones (I'm pregnant) big time, and remembered seeing something on your blog about it. Once I saw I wasn't a complete nutter, we feasted! :P Hurrah!
(I have to say that as a reluctant meat eater (ex-vegetarian), I felt especially happy to make sure we didn't waste a single bit of the bird, too! :O))
That's wonderful, Ash!
My two cents -- lead, aluminum, other heavy metals and pesticides and certain other toxins are stored in the bones (and probably arsenic too, in the feed of non-organic chicken), so if you're going to perform this service, make sure you've started with organic chicken...
can u re-direct me of any relevant sites with regards of your findings concerning chicken bones? highly appreciated it..TQ!
WHen we make chicken stock, we give the spent bones and vegetables to our dogs. It makes them happy and healthy! They also clean up the pots and pans for me.
So apropos! My husband just cracked some thigh & leg bones from a roast chicken last night and my daughter scraped out the marrow with her teeth. She loves it!
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