I had some friends who kept this going for close to two years. They just always had the pot simmering and would throw into it whatever scraps, or sometimes the cheapest meats and vegetables they could find at the market.
Seemed a little dicey to me, but they appeared to appreciate the shared journey and evolution of the thing.
Makes one wonder about the cuisine of past centuries. Once upon a time there was a delicious meal prepared from the finest local ingredients. Many enjoyed it's hearty unique flavor, but it was 1,000 years ago, never recorded, and we'll never know about.
Seemed a little dicey to me, but they appeared to appreciate the shared journey and evolution of the thing.