Baby Food

Well, if I can't keep him small forever, then I'll take this next stage as my second favorite. I'm dusting off Annabel Karmel's First Meals, on long-term loan from our good friend Wendy, digging out the food mill and mezzaluna, and plugging in the food processor.
Call me crazy. Call me a hippie-mom. Call me old-fashioned. Call me whatever you like, but I absolutely loved making all of Kari's baby food. A friend asked me if I did it to save money, and if so, how much did I save? I don't know the exact answer, but I figure what I did save in money I surely lost in time. Making baby food is, in the truest sense, a labor of love. I have to believe that my passion for breastfeeding evolved into my passion for homemade baby food. Those who know me best would laugh otherwise because they know my passion for cooking does not extend a day past baby food. I made more baby food meals for Kari during this stage than the seven years Kevin and I were married at that point. And that's no joke.

Now, I'm not here to judge the majority out there who choose the the jarred baby food route. In fact, I'm quite confident I'd be purchasing those little jars by the cart full had Natalie not introduced me to the idea. For sure, store-bought food is terribly convenient and attractive- the plastic container variety come with lids to store leftovers, it's always shelf-stable, and the glass jar brands sport endless craft possibilities, but I figured I'd give the homemade route a trial run and see how it went.

My favorite baby food medium in the early stages was butternut squash. I have to admit, I didn't even know what butternut squash looked like prior to this, but it quickly became a base for many of Kari's meals with its mild sweet flavor and smooth texture. I'm so excited to purchase my first squash for Bryce very soon. I love the idea of purchasing produce in season, providing a variety of colors, smells and textures in those early stages of learning to eat solids. Kari was, and still can be, an adventurous eater, and I hope Bryce will be too.

I suppose my passion for baby food also concurrently grew as I developed an awareness for farmer's markets, organics and other natural products. Several years ago I read Barbara Kingsolver's book, The Poisonwood Bible. Excellent, excellent read. I liked the author so much I took a look at her other book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. A non-fiction family journal of sorts, I was skeptical as I read the first chapter but quickly became engrossed learning about the benefits and possibilities of consuming food products from local and sustainable sources.

Ultimately, my hope is that our perseverance in the early years of providing healthy food will serve as a lifelong gift- the ability to make wise food choices long after we are there to guide them, and to live long and healthy lives.