So I tried to make homemade baby food today and it didn't turn out as well as I thought it would. I tried to purée Pears. It was very time consuming and the Pears didn't purée as well as I wanted them to, so they were lumpy when I fed them to the baby. He liked it just the same, but I was nervous with all of the bits and pieces in it. I got some advice from the BabyCenter message boards, and now I won't be steaming the fruit in the microwave, I'll be baking them. It takes longer but they get completely mushy, and it's safer for the baby because I won't be microwaving plastic.
So the task for tomorrow: Pour 1-2 inches of water in a baking dish, cut Pears in half and put them middle side down, bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, then purée in processor.
They're supposed to get really mushy and the baking will release all of the wonderful sweetness, yum! One good thing about Pears is that it has a wonderful effect on my little one's bowels! He was constipated for two days and having 2 ounces of Pear mush loosened everything right up! Nice!!
By the way, if anyone is interested in making homemade baby food, the best site out there is: http://wholesomebabyfood.com/ It not only gives you recipes, but tells you at what age it's safe for your baby to eat which foods. (For instance, around 6 months, the best first foods are Apples, Pears, Avocados, and Bananas) It also answers questions like how to preserve the food, how long it lasts, etc. Great resource!!
ETA: 8/25 - 2:00pm - My homemade Pears Baby Food came out perfect this time! The baking worked wonders! I cut the Pears in half, baked them in 2 inches of water, peeled and chopped them, then puréeed them for 10 seconds with 1/3 cup sterilized water. The results? Creamy, yummy, sweet, goodness! Baby loved them! The two pears I puréed ended up making 4 servings of baby food! (Each serving had about 2 ounces in it.) All in all, I'm glad I didn't give up cuz now that I know what to do, I'm gonna be a purée monster! lol Next week is avocados. Can't wait! They don't have to be steamed first, just very ripe. I'm looking forward to it!
Seems like a lot of work! I just got out the baby food making set I received as a shower gift and I'm totally intimidated. I might buy some Earth's Best to start with ... and see what happens. Let me know how your next attempt goes!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/
ReplyDeletethis is the site i use i odviesly not feeding her yet but since the garden is in i am making some in bulk and freezing it for later so far it seems to be ok