Organic Baby Food -- Open Wide

scleaver — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

Tired of not knowing, exactly, where your baby’s food comes from? The Detroit News has a solution: make your own.

The benefits of making your own baby food are obvious. You can use organic produce and know where the ingredients came from if you’re shopping at a farmer’s market or using a CSA>. And it is likely to be cheaper, especially if you’re making a side of peas for dinner and can throw a few in the blender for junior. Not to mention that you’re reducing waste by reducing the number of old baby food jars out there.

Here’s what I learned about baby food in the March 29 paper: Don’t buy anything special. Use whatever produce you have on hand or buy a little extra of what you’re feeding the rest of the family for dinner. Wash everything, wash it again, then wash your hands. Babies are more susceptible to germs that we are.Bake the produce then use a fork, potato masher, or blender to get it to just the right consistency, that of baby cereal. No need for a nutrition label or any added spices—you’re serving baby fresh fruit and veggies, the nutrition’s all there (Gerber doesn’t add anything to their pureed food, so why should you). Freeze or refrigerate within two hours of making it. Whatever you do, remember: adding honey can give babies botulism.

Learn more at Wholesome Baby Food.

Photo Credit from Organic Baby and Mom Web site article about organic baby food.