Add bones to your crock pot. Add apple cider vinegar (this helps pull the minerals and nutrients out of the bones). Cover with water and let sit for approximately 30 minutes. Now, you may hear some recommendations on roasting your bones first for added flavor. I don't do this because I haven't noticed a difference in taste. It's just a preference.
Add remaining ingredients (except for the garlic and herbs, if using.) to crock pot and fill with water. I try to get this as full as I can without having it spill over. Set to "high" until boiling.
I then set my crock pot to “low” and let it do its thing for the weekend. By Monday morning, I have broth ready for the week ahead. You really only need about 48 hours or so to make a quality broth. And about 24 hours for poultry based broths. Make sure to check on it periodically.
With the last 30 minutes remaining, add in the garlic and any herbs that you’re using. I have added my bay leaves and rosemary to my chicken broth much sooner though. They seem to be much more hardy and hold up well.
Allow to cool down before storing. Use a fine sieve to strain your broth.
This should make approximately one gallon of bone broth.
It will keep in the refrigerator for no longer than one week. If you don’t intend on using it within the week, be sure to freeze it. You can freeze to your preference, but I’ve found that filling ice cube trays and moving them to storage containers once frozen, works really well. You’ll be able to pull out however much you’ll need each time.