Inspiration
A soft footprint is not what I’m after. I don’t want the planet to diminish because of me. My goal is to leave it better. I want nature to start singing the Hallelujah Chorus because I showed up. To that end, I am following the lead of the indigenous people of this continent, the original citizens of North America, in showing appreciation and using my resources without waste. It’s not only good for me; it’s good for the planet.
Here’s an idea, and it’s pretty simple. Replace store-bought bone meal supplements for the garden and packaged chicken broth for the kitchen, and make your own instead.
One way to do it
I fill my crockpot with water, throw in my left-over bones from a whole roasted chicken, add a little salt, and a bay leaf or two, and set it on low for 18 hours. Once finished, pour the liquid off and freeze in portions to serve as a lovely chicken broth for some future dish. This handy silicon item, the Souper Cube, came from Lee Valley, a great resource for tools of all kinds, but a yogurt container or something like it would also work well.
Once cooled, it is easy to pick the bones clean. (My dogs get a treat from this part of the process.) Rinse them off and let them dry. There’s no smell, and you’ll be amazed at how soft and brittle they become. You can break them up with your bare hands, and I do this before them into the processor and hitting pulse a few times. They ground down quite nicely.
I’ll add this to my next garden bed preparation. And when I do, you can bet I’ll thank the chicken that provided this resource.
Sacred philosophy
Jack D. Forbes, author of “Indigenous Americans: Spirituality and Ecos,” writes, “An overriding characteristic of Native North American religion is that of gratitude, a feeling of overwhelming love and thankfulness for the gifts of the Creator and the earth/universe.” I heartily subscribe to this tenet, but whether you lean toward a sacred philosophy or practical wisdom, practicing frugality, resourcefulness, and gratitude is good for you.