Lately I have been trying my hand at
home canning. I want to make Hudson's baby food like I did Jackson's
but he'll be starting solid foods at a time when fresh fruits won't be
local and affordable. I ran into the same problem with Jackson. I ended
up using frozen fruits and some dried fruits. I didn't want to do that
this time so I decided to make the purees and can them.
I
read about canning on the internet and found that for baby food you
have to use the pressure canning method so I bought a pressure canner. I
bought about 20 pounds of fresh, ripe fruit and got to work. It took me
an entire day but I ended up with 24 half pint jars of baby food. I did
pears, plums, peaches, apricots, and berries.
On
the baby food websites it says that making your own baby food saves
money over store bought baby food. I can tell you that I have not saved a
cent! By the time I bought the canner, jars, and organic produce I
probably could have bought 1,000 jars of baby food. However, saving
money is not my goal; I want to know that my baby is eating the best
foods I can provide for him. Making my own baby food lets me know
exactly what's in the jar and as he grows I can introduce him to lots of
flavors and textures that aren't available in the baby food aisle.
Last
week I also did some canning for Keith's grandfather. I did beef
vegetable soup and some vegetables. It's been interesting trying new
things in the canner. Next year we plan to plant a bigger garden and do
some vegetables, soups, and sauces. That'll be no problem with 2
toddlers, right?
