I make vegetable soup using three sections of a marrowbone. The sections are 3-4 inches long. I use only bare bones with all the meat removed because I find the meat on the bones too strong (gamy) for my taste. Most people would probably find this meat acceptable, I'm just super picky. I place the bones in a huge pot along with my choice of soup meat--a 2-3 pound Boston roast or a bottom round roast. Again, many people would be satisfied with a fattier cut but lean is my preference. I toss in a bunch of flat parsley and a large quartered onion. I add enough water to cover everything in the pot and bring it to a full boil. Then I reduce the heat and keep the pot just slightly bubbly for about 4 hours. I then remove the pot from the heat and place the meat on a plate. I pour everything else in the pot through a colander into a clean pot to obtain the clear broth. I discard the bones, parsley and onion. I have such a hatred of fatty foods that I wash the soup pot and then return the broth and the meat. I add bite size pieces of carrot, celery and potatoes--you can use whatever veggies you like. I next add a small can of tomato sauce but I know some people like the flavor of the soup without the tomato sauce. The sauce also gives the broth a nice color. I pepper to taste but I don't salt because I like to toss in 2 or 3 Herb Ox beef bullion cubes which are very salty. As the veggies cook you can cook egg noodles. Once both are done you are ready to serve but I think it tastes better the next day. Using my fancy soup meat gives you the option of hot or cold soup meat sandwiches. When I make this soup I refrigerate the broth and bones overnight and the next day I remove all the solidified fat that forms at the top before I add the veggies and finish the soup.

God luck--this is a dish I proudly serve to company.

This is the method I use for making broth (see link below). Once I have the broth, it is turned into a plethora of things....

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Broth Is Beautiful

You are indeed rich!!
I toss the bones into a huge stock pot, add water to cover, about a Tablespoon of salt, an onion cut up...if the bone is really big 2 onions...2 or 3 cloves of garlic peeled and cut up ( that's not much in that big pot!) and about 1/2 a head of celery...2 or 3 bay leaves, a handful of fresh parsley chopped or a rounded tablespoon of dried....bring to a boil, skim the foam....turn the heat down and simmer very gently for as long as you can.
It's good to start it early in the morning, let it simmer all day and make the soup later.
When you are ready to make the soup, fish out that bone...and cut off any remaining meat.....push the marrow out and cut it up and add back into the soup. Fish around in the broth for big chunks of fat and meat with a slotted spoon or a strainer...and remove any fat and cut up meat and return to the pot.
Then I add, the rest of that head of celery, presuming you have about 6 quarts of broth, a pound to 1 1/2 pounds of carrots cut into buttons. a large can of whole tomatoes broken up with your fingers, juice too...if you like tomatoes add 2 cans. Add a small rutabaga ( that's really the secret!) cut fairly small..half if it's larger than a baseball. Doesn't take much to add that je nais sais quoi to the soup. Let that simmer for another hour.
Then I add about a pound of fresh green beans cut into inch lengths, and a 2 pound package of frozen mixed vegetables and about a cup of okra, cut up.
Simmer another 30 to 40 minutes, correct salt, add a good grinding of black pepper....and serve.
I don't ever add potatoes...but I may add half a pound or more of beans of one sort or another...perhaps some barley and the last time I did this I added brown rice at the very beginning. It disintegrated and made a richer broth.
I don't add noodles...but may add grated parm or romano to each serving...or perhaps a teaspoon of pesto sauce.

I made 2 1/2 gallons of a similar soup on Wednesday...took it to people who were needing some home made soup...
Linda C

Wow, thanks for all the helpful tips!! I am a total broth novice. :o) Grainlady, looks like you roast the bones, but Mudlady and Lindac don't. I guess roasting brings out more flavor? I am going to have to buy a stockpot this weekend, I don't think any of my pots are large enough.

I'm not making "broth" I am making soup, and while roasting the bones might be good....( it is good!!) for vegetable beef soup, I don't, my mother didn't and my grandmother didn't.
But you sure could!
Linda C

If I have the time, I will roast the bones along with carrot, onion, celery and herbs of choice. But if I am short on time, I do similar to what Linda does.

I make broth out of mine, using a pressure cooker. Then the broth can be used for soup, or any of a number of things! YUM! It's so much tastier and less expensive than canned/boxed broth.

Linda

I also roast those bones when making stock, and I make enough stock to can. Into the oven with carrot, onion, celery, salt and pepper. I like a bay leaf too. Roast until nicely browned, put into a stockpot and simmer it all day, be sure to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the roasting pan too. I can the stock/broth and use it for a lot of different things...

If I'm making soup I may or may not roast the bones, but it does give it a nice flavor. I start like LindaC, but I don't like tomatoes in my vegetable soup and I just add whatever the heck I have on hand for vegetables so it's never the same twice. If I'm "short" on vegetables or I want a change I might add barley and mushrooms instead of all the vegetables, or I might start with the broth, add lots of potatoes and just a few onions, or maybe some noodles or all those vegetables and a couple of hands full of brown rice. It's all in whatever suits me right then.

It's soup weather here too, make a BIG pot.

Annie

I prefer the deeper flavor of roasted bones and would roast them first.

I'm another bone roaster too! I make my stock/broth/soup similar to Annie's, but I will add the onions with the skins on - it gives a lovely color!

I wonder if browning them in the stew pot first instead of roasting them in the oven would work too. I might have to try that next time.

Nor sure why but I do it differently depending on the type of soup.

Vegetable soup , I do not roast the bones. I do as Linda describes.

Any beef based soup, stock/broth I always raost the bones.

Chicken and turkey soup/broths I used the cooked carcass of a chicken or turkey I have roasted.

Nothing like a homemade stock no matter which way you do it!

I want broth to use for soups and gravies, so I guess roasting is the way to go. Didn't get around to it today, will try again tomorrow. I guess I'd better take them out of the freezer, they probably roast better when they're not frozen. ;o)

I have 2 free-range chickens on order, am already planning broth. I've never made fresh chicken broth either, I've always just used the pre-made kind or broth cubes.

You can make a half decent broth from a rotisserie chicken carcass too.

Here I am to make things even more complicated...:D

When I set out to make a good beef stock for the freezer, I roast some of the bones and vegetables and leave some raw. I think I get a more balanced, complex flavor to my stock by doing so.

At the moment, it happens I've got a batch going. The house has become quite "beefy" in aroma, and makes the chicken I'd planned for dinner pale somewhat in comparison to my mental visions of rich, hearty beef barley soup or roast beef and gravy, but oh well.

bumblebeez, I didn't know that. I could have made tons of broth with all the rotisserie chickens I've bought.

rachelellen, I am looking forward to the yummy smell tomorrow. I'll have to try mixing raw and roasted as well when I get more bones. I sure hope the broth turns out well, considering how pricey the bones are.

I keep an extra large ziplock bag in the freezer, and whenever we have a rotisserie chicken, or leftover bbq chicken, I throw the bones or leftover carcass in the bag. When the bag is full, it's time to make stock. It's pretty handy.

I am *so* looking forward to making turkey soup after our Thanksgiving dinner this weekend.

susy, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Good idea about freezing the bones!