I should begin the story by saying that I've always wanted to make my own baby food. I mean, how hard could it be? But when it was time to start having Addie try solids, I sort of felt overwhelmed by it all. I mean, how in the world would I know what to make for her? And, why would I want to go to all that trouble making the stuff for her to just refuse it? (Irrational. I know. But it's where my mind was going a few weeks ago.)
So, to quell my irrationality, we decided to just buy a few jars of organic baby food to get her taste buds working, see what she liked, and then take it from there. So off to the store I went. And when I got there, I was shocked at the price for those teensy tiny little jars, and I was dismayed at the additives in even some of the organic foods. Paying nearly a whole dollar for ONE jar of food was just--silly. I mean, there's hardly anything in to those things. Begrudgingly, I bought a few jars, walked out of the store with a new resolve to make it at home myself.
Eventually, Addie started to really take to the food. Sweet potatoes and pears were particular favorites. Last weekend while we were at the farmer's market, I grabbed some sweet potatoes--$3.80 worth. A couple days later, I steamed half of them and made over a dozen jars' worth of baby food. For $1.90. Not to mention that Addie loved them (which to my affirmation-junkie heart is priceless).
But in the scheme of things, sweet potatoes are inexpensive, and organic fruit is a bit more pricey. While I was picking out organic pears from Trader Joe's a few days later, I wondered if I'd end up saving much money at all. I mean, one pear was $.69, and one jar of Earth's Best Organic Pears was just on sale at Target for $.70. After it cooked down, would one pear yield more than a jar's worth of food? I decided to experiment, so I bought two. Here they are (aren't they pretty?).
Then, I peeled them, cut them up, and put them into a pan to steam. Then, I left them alone for awhile.
When I came back, they were incredibly soft and ready to puree. So I threw them into my food processor, added a bit of the leftover steaming water, and left them alone again. When I tasted them, they were a bit grainy. So, I turned the machine back on and left them alone yet again. When I came back, they were perfect. I mean, perfect (even though you can't exactly tell that by looking at this picture...). Now the question was, would Addie eat them?
The answer? Yes. She did eat them, and she loved them. And those two pears yielded over twice what was in two little jars of Earth's Best Organic Pears. Nearly tripled, really. So for the equivalent of 6 jars of food, which in the store, on sale, would have been $4.20, I paid $1.40. Talk about feeling encouraged!
So there you have it--my experiment with baby food. I know jars are more convenient, and I know some of the organic foods are good foods for Addie, but why wouldn't I make homemade babyfood from now on? It's SO easy. It takes far less time than one imagines, and really, the effort it takes to make it can hardly be called work at all.
Do any of you make your own baby food? If so, do you have any tips? Suggestions?
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