Taking Stock

I love getting as much as possible out of my cooking and that includes ingredients.  When I plan out my weekly menu I think about making my ingredients go as far as possible.  Now that we are in preserving and storing season I’m looking to extend their life even further.

Sunday’s roast chicken produced four grown up dinners, a child dinner and a lunch.  Then the carcass was mixed with our own onions and carrots to become a nourishing stock.  I’ll be using this for baby food (no salt) but also adding it to soups for the slightly larger people in the house.  It amazes me that these humble ingredients became 2 litres of stock!  And tasty stock it is too.

I’m becoming more aware (as many are) of the need to stretch out ingredients and meals.  Food prices are increasing and buying good quality ingredients means higher bills.  To combat this I’m trying to think more carefully, plan a little more dilligently and treat what we do have with more respect.  This seems like an all round good idea.

From cooking, to making it at home, to just plain doing without, many of us could stand to focus on what we do have instead of aiming to consume more.  This seems like a good season to make and take stock.  To plan for the darker months and nourish ourselves through our endeavours and relationships, not through purchasing more new items.

Chicken soup for the soul and the bank balance.