Wonderful ideas… there are really so many things that can be used for broth. I also keep a bag of bones and other bits in the freezer for soup-making. (It just happened that this time it was empty.)

As far as salt goes, I throw some in at the beginning just to draw out the flavor from the bones, but not so much that the broth gets oversalty as it cooks down. Definitely something to be careful of.

i love talking broth, it makes food so great, and can be a great carrier for herbs too.

one comment – ive always been taught to put salt in at the end, when eating the broth or using it in a dish, not when cooking it. the logic being that the broth will reduce and concentrate as it cooks, so it is hard to gauge the right amount of salt at this point. just a thought.

i generally keep a ziplock bag in the freezer for broth-making scraps. those leek tops, stems of shitakes, ends or peels of carrots – many things you wouldnt want to eat will do great in broth. get some nutrients out of them before feeding them to the compost. same for the bones – while chicken backs make a great broth, more often i start chicken broth by roasting and eating a whole chicken. a few days later, the carcass goes in the stock pot, after i have picked clean all i want to eat. even little bits of bones – from chiken breasts or thighs, lamb chops, you name it – will go in the freezer to get saved up for broth.

and, if you ever cook shrimp – one of the most delicious and delicate broths ever can be made from the peels and tails of shrimp. any part of a shrimp you dont eat, even if you have already cooked it first, save and put in the stock pot with a little bit of scallion. its incredibly sweet and yummy, great with a light colored miso and a little chopped spinach, radish, and scallion.

happy brothing as the air turns cold!