Flavor And Nutrients From Stuff We Usually Throw Away - Bones, Skins, Shells, Necks...

[alternativista 1243]

Leaves, feet, peels...

People once used all this stuff.

Peels - with most fruits and vegetables, much of the nutrients are in the skin.

-Onion skin - quercetin a very important antioxidant and anti-histamine. Save your onion and garlic skins and boil them with the ends and other veggie scraps for broth, Especially the green ends from green onions and leeks. http://www.almanac.c...health-and-more

Bones for a gelatin rich broth that provides all the nutrients your joints and skin need and will heal your intestines. (look into GAPs diet) Feet and wing tips are some of the best sources of bones to make a gelatin rich broth/stock, but save and boil all your bones. use a crock pot to simmer for 4-12 hours or more depending on what the bones are (i.e. poultry vs beef).

Shrimp and other crustacean shells are where they usually get the glucosamine for supplements. Glucosamine binds up gluten and other lectins that can permeate your digestive tract. I haven't found any info on how much glucosamine you get by boiling, but it also makes a flavorful stock. In addition, many cultures dry whole (shell and all) tiny shrimp and eat for snacks or grind to a powder to use in cooking. Many people roast or saute the shells first, then boil. tips -- http://www.marksdail...hread50015.html discussion, http://www.nytimes.c...ing/10appe.html

Shrimp soup - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marcela-valladolid/spicy-shrimp-broth-recipe/index.html

Egg shells - source of calcium and other minerals. And the membrane is a source of elastin.

Fish heads -

Fish stock from bones - http://culinaryarts....r/fishstock.htm

--Other parts of fish usually thrown out - cheeks and 'collars' of larger fish

Innards - some of the densest sources of nutrients.-

-Liver

Necks- also good for stock. And from larger animals are perfectly good as roasts. I've seen Martha Stewart make roast lamb neck.

Leaves of plants usually thrown out-

-Beet greens

-Carrot tops - chlorophyll, vitamin K, pretty much what's in all greens.

-sweet potato leaves

-celery, broccoli and cauliflower leaves - yeah, you won't get enough to make a meal, but don't throw them out. Eat them.

(Leaves from nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, tomatillos) are poisonous. As are the leaves of rhubarb)

Things that make great teas

-Raspberry leaves

Edited March 19, 2012 by alternativista

[User142279 332]

I highly recommend going to a farmer's market. I've been pleasantly surprised at the amount of economy cuts. The organ meats tend to be much cheaper than the regular economy cuts, for example, grass fed/finished pastured beef heart is $3 a lb at my market.

Tendon, a delicious addition to any bowl of pho, is relatively cheap as well. It's rich in collagen and all that good joint/skin/gut nutrition, and the farmer doesn't even charge me for it (but of course, I'm buying other stuff). I started getting a couple lbs of it a week.

[alternativista 1243]

You are lucky. Those at my markets charge a lot even four soup scraps, necks and giblets. Although I have mostly been looking at chicken and haven't asked about anything else. And I consider $3 a lot for many of these things.

You could also ask about other parts- feet, tails for stock. And necks. Apparently lamb neck makes a perfectly nice roast. Which I imagine is true of goat, deer, etc. I saw a guest chef on Martha Stewart make a roast from one of their sheep.

Edited March 26, 2012 by alternativista