Oct 30 2008
Cooking Pumpkin
Before giving your baby new foods check out this site and see their food chart. They show a clear list of when you can start your baby on certain foods. http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solids.htm
Also check out their list of forbidden foods; common knowledge ones like honey, or nuts, but also not so common knowledge ones like peanut butter, strawberries and corn.
Depending on how much pumpkin you plan to make for your little one depends on the size. I bought a medium sized pumpkin (Maybe between two or three pounds) washed the outside scrubbing with my hands and then patted it dry with a paper towel. Taking a knife I removed the stem; just like if I were to carve it. After, I took a small chunk of the pumpkin from one side and cut all the seeds and strings off of it. Cutting that small piece into even smaller but manageable pieces I placed them into a steamer. I was able to use about half the pumpkin to steam at a time, but I have a smaller steamer so if you have a larger steamer you may be able to steam the whole thing at once. I put all the seeds into a strainer where I washed and pulled all the orange stringy pumpkin pieces off of them, patted them dry and placed them in a baking sheet adding about a tablespoon of olive oil. (Which I found out you don’t really need.) Turning the oven on 300 degrees and put them into the oven for ten minutes, stirred them, than put them in for another ten minutes. I continued this process until I liked the shade of brown they turned. (Around forty minutes.) I did not give any of the seeds to my baby, these were for me.
Once the steamer was done, I took those pieces out placing them into a bowl and added the other remaining pumpkin pieces to the steamer; adding a little more water but not dumping out what was already used. (This way I don’t lose any nutrients, but just add to what is already in the water.)
After I let the already cooked piece of pumpkin cool off I take a spoon and scrape off the inside mushy part placing it into a food processor. When cooked the pumpkin is very soft and easily comes off the skin. Once all the pumpkin was done cooking, and pealed away from the skin I added some of the left over water from the pot I used to steam them in into the food processor to help make the food creamy. Add as much or as little as you want depending on how creamy you want them to be. Otherwise you can add breast milk too, which helps add a familiar taste to the food you’re making for your baby.
Now if you are like me, I disliked the smell of the pumpkin once it was pureed for my daughter. I did let her have some of it plane but you could add pear or apple or something else you’ve already introduced to your child, this may help add to the flavor. Otherwise you could add fresh ground cinnamon but don’t add butter or salt or anything like that. When introducing foods to your child it isn’t about the taste so throw all your knowledge about what may taste good with what out the window. My daughter did not like the pumpkin by itself so I mixed it with some pear, making a yellowish color and she ate it up like crazy!
Know that foods like carrots and pumpkin have Beta Carotene which if given in large amounts can cause your baby to turn orange. Ha ha
