Once your baby is six months old you can feed your baby pureed pumpkin. It is easy to add this to cereals, yogurts or even meats. Most babies can even tolerate a little bit of cinnamon and melted butter to make it extra tasty. When shopping for pumpkins look for pie pumpkins or sugar pumpkins for best results.
A pumpkin is a type of squash and is a member of the gourd family (Cucurbitacae). This family also includes squash, cucumbers, gherkins, and melons. They are full of nutrition including Vitamin A and Beta Carotene. It is an excellent nutritious vegetable to cook and puree. Pumpkins are also good sources of potassium, protein, and iron. They are low in fat, low in calories but high in fiber.
Before you puree it you must boil, steam or bake the pumpkin. You must also chill it immediately after cooking or it will turn brown.
The simplest Pumpkin Baby food recipe is –
• 1 sugar pumpkin
• Water
• Cinnamon.
Cube cooked pumpkin and mash it or blend it until smooth.
Nice variations include adding a bit of mashed apple or apple sauce or a bit of cooked oatmeal to the blend. This makes this a great breakfast food that is chock full of Vitamin A.
Another very nice combination is half a cup of pumpkin puree and two mashed bananas. If your baby likes a smoother texture add a bit of yogurt or milk while blending to make it less lumpy. Other fruits that go nicely are peaches and pears, especially together in a batch of pumpkin puree.
To make a savory pumpkin puree for baby add two tablespoons olive oil, a bit of onion, a cup of vegetable stock, a pinch of sugar and pepper, rosemary and basil. Cook the mixture thoroughly and then to sit with lentils, brown rice or quinoa for a healthy meal.
By the way if you do not want to go to the trouble of scooping out a pumpkin and baking the flesh to puree it into baby food then you might want to use canned pumpkin. Most canned pumpkin can be used directly out of the can. Read the label first to find out. It will say it was cooked first.
If using canned pumpkin then try to use a kind like Libby's which has 100% Pure Pumpkin on the label.
Pumpkin is economical to puree up in a baby bullet. It lasts for 1 week in the fridge or up to three months in the refrigerated. Do not be alarmed if pumpkin separates when thawing. This is a natural effect and does not mean it has gone bad.