Making Bone Broth and Organic Fertilizer from Deer Bones

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In this series we're going to share how we live off of the food that we grow in our community garden plots, or forage and hunt in the woods. This week we're processing deer bones into bone broth and organic bone meal fertilizer for our gardens.
Listen to more of Ethan's original music here: / lennoxec

[@morgaaaaaa]

thank you for these videos as always! as a vegetarian of 10 years, your hunting-orientated videos are so fascinating to me ! i hope to use your skills one day if i decide to eat meat again

[@RachelLxm]

Where i live (Vancouver, BC), in Asian markets you can find whole chickens. My dads a chef and utilizes everything, even the carcass to make stock like what you and Jordan do. I agree that it's super important to utilize everything that an animal can provide and not waste something perfectly edible. Even our boiled chicken for our dog, we use it as chicken "stock" for her. No salt or anything, just water and chicken! Perfect way to get her to hydrated.

[@gutmicrobiomequeen]

My 8 year old loves watching your reels and KZbin videos with me. Thank you for all the educational and beautifully made videos! 🥰 We love your courses, too 😊

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

So glad to hear that y’all are enjoying the videos and the courses!

[@mercymusya2398]

Ethan's magic with the slow mo of the bone crushing was deeply mesmerising 11:14 Love from Kenya 🤗

[@ItsChilly-WearMittens]

I think of the Robert Frost lines when I watch your videos: "My object in living is to unite / My avocation and my vocation. As my two eyes make one in sight. / Only where love and need are one, / And the work is play for mortal stakes, Is the deed ever really done / For Heaven and the future's sakes." You are obviously greatly enjoying your avocation/vocation.

[@metalslug97]

This sounds weird but watching you guys gives so much more life in my breath. You two practice such intentional and conscious living, it excites me. You are the kind of people everyone secretly desires to be because you guys are wealthy in spirit, intelligence, and creativity.

[@denislosieroutdoors]

I do the exact same thing with my deer bones... try smoking the bones in a smoker 1st for 2 hours gives the broth a slight smoky flavor, then I char the bones with wood to make biochar great garden amending product and also feed some to the chickens and spread some under the chicken roost to absorb smell and charge the char before using it in the garden... did a video on my channel nit very well do tho... thanks for sharing

[@pamguyton4597]

I am amazed at the amount of knowledge you both have. Certain things have been passed down in my family since the farm was started in 1795 but you guys teach me 3+ new techniques every few months. Thank you!

[@jasonellis7856]

Try adding some apple cider vinegar to the broth, will help extract even more nutrients, minerals etc and makes bones softer and easier to crush them up.

[@dorothyyoung8231]

Kale stems tip: they’re perfectly edible. I strip off the leaves, then use the stems in soups and braises as I would use celery!

[@elizabeth2416]

Since you're at it, you might as well look at Jadam organic gardening or Korean natural farming. If you mix that bone dust (and egg shells, after you've baked them in the oven for a bit) with vinegar it extracts the calcium in a quicker and more concentrated way, Then you can use it as an amendment when watering or as a spray on young fruit with soft skin (tomatoes).

[@nanbuyshouses4117]

I was wondering about that also. I use vinegar to extract more out of the bones while cooking them, but wondering if some vinegar remained in the bones negatively affecting garden soils when made into bone meal?

[@iameowyn]

LOVE the idea of dried nettle and porcini in stock. Inspired!

[@TamTam-yw7id]

I love these videos. I'm encouraged to really use these 2 acres I have to grow more food

[@desireeflaws568]

Autumn has arrived here in New Zealand and its time to finish off harvesting whats left in the garden. I shall look forward to watching you through the winter to keep me motivated. Hunting is a little different down here - a bit of deer, wild pig and lots of game birds. Love your channel.

[@bethreiners5568]

Great video. I love seeing your process for making the bone meal, and using an oven to dry them. I don’t have a pressure cooker, and not planning on getting one either, so I’m grateful for this tutorial. I think your carrots get hairy from too much nitrogen exposure. Thanks for the idea of keeping the spines of kale for making broth. We usually dump them in the compost, but I love adding these to the broth. 😊

[@LaineyBug2020]

I was wondering if y'all could do an experiment and try to make a version of hard tach that used your corn meal, some form of winter squash (probably powdered) and bean protein powder with dear tallow? The Corn/Squash/Bean combo is the 3 Sisters that has complete proteins along with the carbs, vitamins and minerals, and the tallow would have energy from the fat if you can get it to work. Once dried they would make great rations, especially when combined with venison portable soup and pemican and any wild edibles you're able to forage. I think it would make a great video!

[@lindasummer2343]

Great info on making bone meal, I love how you guys improvised with the box and tamper. I think I can find a tamper and box around here and have a go at the chicken bones I have ready to go. I usually blend the edible veges from the bone broth and mix it in soup or add it to pasta. I now love and use bone broth for so many things. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.

[@saraherber1887]

What a wonderful method for processing your bones. Typically we would have a bone pile near the garden where freezing and thawing would do the work for us. I'm sure you will make some good dinners with your broth. A nice soup with carrots .... if you can keep the carrots away from your pup!

[@beth8775]

It seems like maybe a burlap sack might be a good container for the bones while crushing.

[@peanuth5872]

I love the effort/respect you show for each deer you use and every ecosystem you touch! Remineralizing your own garden with the bones is super cool and thrify :)

[@victoriag7573]

Loved the extra Moo content in this one ☺

[@rosieroccaforte6927]

Enjoying your videos, 😊 I'm curious why don't you break the bones to release the marrow before boiling?

[@tereclemmer7923]

What you are doing is so awesome! I just love all the information you shared with us. Thank you.

[@snowyowl10]

I'm actually afraid of dogs, but lil moo makes me reconsider my stance on NO DOGS ALLOWED 😂❤ She's so sweet ❤

[@mandapanda7407]

You know the food is good when your ingredients are still trying to thrive 😅 Those carrots made me giggle

[@khadijareeves616]

Happy Friday 🙋🏾‍♀️🪻💜

[@narithasalik]

Love your videos ❤

[@raggedyann4372]

Thank you for sharing❤️🥰🙏🏻

[@panicdotes9135]

I love your videos!

[@DemirelliProductions]

I really enjoy watching your videos. Could you share more on how you harvest and dry stinging nettle? This is one of our projects this year. Thanks!

[@user-zx5dp9nr7o]

thank you

[@sherryrobinson9449]

Adding apple cider vinegar ia also best to help break down and soften the bones to release the nutrients for 10-24hrs

[@delyar]

Delightful for watch

[@thegingerpowerranger]

Very interesting. Great to see that you use absolutely every part of the animal, despite how difficult and time consuming the process may incur.

[@OpheliaCox]

Oh wow, I always thought we shouldn’t touch stinging nettle. You all teach me something every time I watch your videos. Love your content. ❤ from NC Silvan!

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

If you grab them just right they don’t really sting you, but it’s a skill you have to practice 😅

[@pianomanty]

I learned well from Minecraft that bone meal is the best fertilizer

[@UKhomestead]

How about a old pillow case and a rolling pin for those smaller bits

[@MelissaFlaquer]

How often do you guys test your soil for nutrients? What do you use for potassium supplementation if you need it? Is the compost enough?

[@j.d.x4451]

Have yall thought about purchasing a pressure canner to help with yalls preservation?

[@theUcane]

Doggos love carrots!

[@lsheffield6205]

I have never been able to pick nettle without gloves. I know people do but I always get stung. Love the flavor and the nutritional value but prefer someone else doing the picking🙂

[@juliedenny2754]

I noticed you don’t use the marrow from the deer bone. Is there a reason? Is it the wasting disease you spoke of?

[@j17schis82]

Random question, hypothetically, if you did hunt a deer with chronic wasting disease, what would you do with the deer carcass?

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

I think the state would ask you to dispose of the high risk parts and keep them out of the environment so they don’t spread

[@ellenradford8582]

I would think.using a heavy hammer would work better and then use a morter and pestle to get it smaller

[@karenwright6752]

Why are they called “stinging nettles” when you are able to harvest with your bare hands?

[@fallenleafes]

They do sting when you touch them. To harvest you have to look for a part of the plant that doesn't have hairs. Or you could use gloves

[@helennewell9932]

Why don't you crack the long bones to extract the marrow before you boil them (not criticism!! I'm just fascinated by your videos although they have little relevance to me!)

[@Popintheegarden]

Hoping maybe someone here can help me! Yalls videos remind me so much of a book my grandmother had in her house that belonged to her boyfriend who was from the ohio country. It was a foraging book and I read it over and over and I think it's what started me on this path. It was black and white, and I remember it talking about stinging nettle, plantain, rose hips, and it was specific to a region of the US I believe. Never been able to track down this exact book and I know there are lots that could fit that description but if this rings any bells to anyone, please let me know!

[@oliverg6864]

Very cool, I didn't know that's how bone meal was made! Do you ever use the bones to make tools or other items?

[@TheJuanqui1]

11:14 2001 Space Odyssey?

[@vinay4181]

Replant those carrots, you'll get seeds next year

[@DracoTriste]

Can I make bone power with the leftover bones from my chicken stock too? Would the process be the same?

[@MelissaFlaquer]

Would be even easier since they are softer. I have done it with my leftover chicken bones. After being in the pressure cooker, they turn to mush reslly easy

[@tjeanvlogs9894]

From roasted chicken carcasses, I use my insta pot to make bone broth. The remainder is crunched up and spread in the garden here in the maritime pac NW.

[@sarandaismajli6477]

Im curious, do deer bones become soft like chicken bones❤ when you make broth? If so instead of drying and then crushing. Could you put the softened bones in a food processor and turn it into a paste, spread it out to dry like a fruit leather 🤔 It might be easier 🤷‍♀️

[@user-zq5vw2uj5p]

But then they wouldn't have the bone broth

[@nyaon8105]

First!!

[@narithasalik]

Second 😂

[@chrissy4782]

🦌🦴🦌🦴🦌🦴🦌🦴🦌🦴 Two Scrub Daddy boxes pushed together will give it extra strength, and turning the structure to stand tall to tamp it will keep the flying chips from leaving the box.