I bought two old hens, retired layers, about 2.5 pounds each, at the
farmer's market. I put them, whole, in a stock pot and covered them with
spring water. I brought the pot to a gentle simmer, never going over 200
degrees, for 2 hours. Scum skimmed as required. Removed the birds and
cut them into 1" pieces, returned to pot with a medium onion, halved, 1
medium carrot and 1 celery stalk, cut into 1" chunks, 2 whole garlic
cloves, 6 whole black peppercorns, 1 tsp salt. Simmered at 200-205
degrees for another 4 hours. Strained, removed most of the fat. I now
have about 1 gallon of the most heavenly tasting stock, crystal clear.

It's really worth going the extra mile when making stock.


--
Peter Aitken