Homemade Baby Food (Fruits)

Try soaking them and/or in "fruit fresh" - should be able to get it at the grocery store, probably in the canning supplies. Should work, since it works for canning them.

Yes you need to cook the other fruits, but only for a few minutes. I used this website to make food for both of my kids, and loved it. It gives great recipes and cooking instructions.

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

But if it turns slighty brown, and your child still eats it, then don't worry. Also, frozen is just as good as fresh as long as there is no added sugar or salt. Most are frozen as soon as they are picked. Also you can get out of season foods this way.

Mine didn't like peas at first so I always mixed it with something they liked, like sweat potatoes. It sounds gross to us, but my daughter loved it. I would slowly add more peas and less sweat potato until the peas were the predominant flavor. By the time she was one, she loved peas.

I have used OJ and gotten the same results as lemon juice and it is not as tart.

I made homemade baby food for my twins too! It's so much better, and cheaper than prepared food. I'd add prepared rice cereal to my fruits and veggies, and it was so easy! I have a book called "First Meals" by Anabel Karmel that was a big help. According to that, try cooking the pears in a little water until they're soft. She doesn't say anything about cooking peaches.
Hope this helps

You could actually try working backward :}. Walmart and Sam's carry a lot of frozen fruit (they carry a lot of veg. too). You could purchase these instead and just thaw and then puree what you need. Otherwise, I'm not sure about the whole freezing process with fruit and veg, but I know there's a certain amount of blanching involved with most. I do know that lemon or lime juice helps keep fruits fresher longer, you might try mixing a little into your purees and seeing if that helps keep them from browning. Salt too, even the kiddos need a little, helps as a preservative. I just picked up a big tub of iodized sea salt from our Walmart, that typically contains more necessary minerals than regular. I also have a copy of "The Natural Baby Food Cookbook" if you'd like it. Just send me a post and I can drop it off, or you can pick it up. :}

I made my 3 year olds food and now I am making my 10 month olds. You can use a splash of lemon juice but I just let them brown. It doesn't affect the food. I used The Super Baby Food cookbook and they suggested not using any citric acid until a year because it is harsh on a child's stomach. If you choose to use it then put only a Tbl amount in your whole batch. Check out the cook book. I call it my food bible because it even has a suggestion schedule on when to introduce certain foods based on age and shows you how to make your own yogurts and porridges (rice cereal).

have you read super baby food by Ruth Yaron? one good thing is that summer is coming, so fruits are in season and it doesnt' take but a minute to mash them up. you might put in a drop of lemon juice to prevent the browning. i made veggies, grains and protiens in large batches, and fruits in small 2-3 serving batches. i usually just made our fruit for the day in the morning, because in my experience, besides mangos and strawberries, they don't really freeze well

Try this website. It is very helpful!

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

B.,

You could try adding lemon juice, not sure how much but I'm sure there is more on this on the net. Good luck.

Blanching or briefly boiling them is the safe answer. Using citrus this early may cause allergies.

Your local grocery store will have something called "Fruit Fresh". It is basically a Vitamin C powder that will stop the browning. I use it when I make snack with fresh fruits for snack @ my first graders school.

add some lemon juice or some other acidic juice or pectin (comes in boxes near the canning section). Toss well --

yummy summer time snacks -- frozen juice pops! I'd also make smoothies, way before they were the "thing", for those hot summer time days. Orange juice was my base liquid then lots of other in season fruit. Frozen strawberries/peaches/blueberris provided the ice .... kept it from being too watery!

Hi B.,

When I made my children's baby food, I blanched the pears and peaches. They never turned colors in the freezer. Kudos to you making your own baby food. So many think that it takes a lot of work, but it doesn't. My kids are now 24 and 21.

C.

I too have an 8 month old baby who I prepare baby food for. As far as fruits are concerned, I've found if you simmer them for a few minutes in just about a half inch of water before puree, they maintain their original color. Also, for peaches, blueberries, and mangos, I buy frozen fruits, which are already peeled and ready for a quick cook. I just make sure there's no sugar or anything added to them. In the past I've baked the fruit (peaches and plums), but that didn't work out well for me. I hope this was helpful and good luck!!!

Add a little lemon juice.

HI B.,
Good for you on making food for your angels. I have made for for all 3 of my boys (oldest is 11 and youngest is almost 2.) I highly recommend the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. It will walk you through making everthing from homemade cereal to every fruit or veggie you can think of. Your babies are old enough for raw peaches, pears and apples. The discoloration is just due to oxydation. it doesn't affect flavor and your babies shouldn't mind. I can't recommend this book enough. It is full of nutritional info helpful for your whole family. Keep up the good work!
D.

i make my sons baby food homemade and you should cook the peaches and pears first then puree. Bananas are the only fruit you don't have to cook, and those definately turn a really gross brown color. I cook everything else first. you can google homemade baby food and find tons of receipes for combo meals for baby

Hi B.,

Some like to sqeeze a touch of lemon juice on fruit as a preservative to keep it from turning brown.

Also, have you tried the new cookbook, Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Sienfeld (Comedian Jerry Sienfeld's wife). It teaches you how take pureed foods and make incredible delicious meals. Since you make healthy food choices for your family this cookbook would be perfect for you. Check it out on Amazon. I think you'll love it!

Good luck,