My littlest one finally got jealous enough of the big kids eating all of our delicious local produce from our North Carolina farmers. The time had come to steam up some yummy fruit and veggie purees for the the little guy. Even in these winter months, it is possible to buy delicious and healthy local fruits and veggies. This month, Puzzle Peace Farm located in Bostic, North Carolina had three different varieties of sweet potatoes to try – of course we will be taste testing them all in this house! Last week we shared a bushel of delicious Granny Smith apples from Ben Lynch Orchards with some friends of ours – although the children have been eating them so quickly, I think we should have probably kept the entire bushel to ourselves!
Baby Purees … Making your own baby food is so incredibly easy and economical. This week we made two different baby purees – the first was Pink Lady Apples and Pears and the second was Sweet Potatoes and Granny Smith Apples. Both were very easy to make and were a big hit with the baby.
Apples and Pears: Peel and dice apples and pears (I used 2 apples and 2 pears), put in heavy bottomed pan, add 1/4 cup of water and heat over low to low medium heat. Stir and cover. The apples and pears will get mushy. Stir some more. Mash with a potato ricer. If you are preparing this for a very little baby, you might want to run the apples and pears through a food processor and add a little water to thin it out.
Sweet Potatoes and Apples: Peel and dice sweet potatoes and apples (I used 1 sweet potato and 1 apple). I steamed them in a colander with a small amount of water. Heat covered over medium heat – watch the water level – don’t let all the water steam off!
After you steam your veggies and fruits until they are easily mashed, you can use an ice cube tray to make baby-sized portions ready for instant access. Freeze small portions in an ice cube tray and then pop them out after a few hours. Store your veggie cubes in freezer bags labeled with the ingredients and the date. Thaw one or two at a time as needed. After I thaw out a cube or two, I like to thin it out with a little water or breast milk before I feed it to the babe. Delicious, easy, healthy. Who needs jarred baby food when home made (local!) food is this simple?
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| Ready for the freezer… |
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| Ready to go back to the freezer |
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| I think he likes it! |
