I guess it’s time again for me to yammer on about dead animals. No, not in a morbid way.
Did you know I used to be a strict vegetarian? I was! For 10 years! I have since adopted a more omnivore lifestyle, though it fluctuates between lower and higher carb. I may include animal based food in my life now, but I still believe in efficiency and respecting animals. Which is why I try to use an animal “snout to tail”. Use everything. Don’t waste anything. In order to follow this principle, we buy beef from a farm and receive the bones, fat, and organs (offal) as well. Oxtail soup is delicious, tongues are delicacies, and bone broth is pretty popular these days.
Here are some posts on using up our cow parts:
DIY Rendered Grass-Fed Beef Tallow
Homemade Grass Fed Liver Jerky
Now let’s talk bones!
Snout to Tail: Ways to Use Your Leftover Beef Bones
Bone broth
Making bone broth is pretty straight forward. Roast bone. Put in pot of water with veggie scraps and seasonings. Lightly simmer for a day or even two. A cow knuckle works well since it is full of collagen. I also use chicken carcasses.
Eat Roasted Marrow
If you watch foodie shows or eat at high end restaurants, you know this is a thing. Bone marrow is very nutritious. Your butcher or meat processor usually labels the ones that make the best marrow bones. Any bone with lots of goo in the center works. Just roast them in the oven for 90 minutes. Bone marrow makes an excellent baby food, or some people like spreading it on toast.
Let your scavenger animals pick them clean
Do you have chickens or guineas? These birds have sharp beaks for a reason. They love picking a carcass clean. If your arm roast is as stripped as you’ll get it and you’re not making broth, let your fowl have at it.
Plant them under a new tree
That’s right. Trees and other plants require calcium and other minerals in their soil for growth. Some species need more than others. We plant bones under new saplings on our tree farm.
Clean them and leave out for small animals to nibble for calcium.
Animals don’t just each the meat and skin off a carcass. Knowing on the bones is how many scavengers get their calcium. If you leave a couple cleaned up bones on your front stoop, the rabbits and squirrels will chew on them until they are gone.
Grind up and add to animal feed
Ok, I don’t have a bone grinder. You can by these. Or use a grain mill. You need to roast the bones until they become brittle. Then break them into smaller pieces you can grind. Grinding bones into bone meal makes them easy to consume for any of your animals. Bone meal is a common ingredient in many pet foods and animal feeds. It’s a great source of minerals.
Compost!
When in doubt, you can always compost your leftover bones. They will add nutrients to your soil and help create healthy soil. This is what happens in nature after the wildlife picks its share. If you’ve already boiled them for broth and let them be picked clean, just add them to the compost. They take longer to break down than an apple core, but they will mostly be gone in a year or two. It doesn’t take long for a skeleton to be consumed by mother nature.