DIY Bouillon

I made beef broth the other day from soup bones in the freezer. I had planned to can the broth, but the canning instructions said to cool it in the fridge to skim the fat and then reheat it to boiling, and I decided freeze drying might be a better option. 

So I skimmed the fat (which G fed to Jip).

Then spread it in the pans. It had the consistency of jello and evened out okay. 

The Harvest Right app recommends freezing all liquids before freeze drying so there aren't any explosions from uneven heating/cooling. 

Putting it in the freezer was the hardest part! I wanted it to be level so I ended up wedging a couple of thin items under the end of the pan to keep the broth from sliding to one side.

It freeze dried perfectly and left the solids behind in an interesting pattern. Like the cream of mushroom soup, it came off the pan perfectly even without the silicone mats. 

Did I weigh each pan to be able to tell how much liquid to add in? Nope. But I figure I can use the powder like bullion and the soup water will rehydrate it for me.