Feeding 9 Months

For my little guy, the nine month mark is just around the corner and now even more foods can be introduced. Since the last post, he has gotten his first tooth, so I have been using the Earths Best barley teething biscuits (which are quite tasty). Although I prefer those, he has been enjoying frozen washcloths quite a bit more than the biscuits.

These are the foods that (in my opinion) are safe to introduce at 9 months

Cooked and ground: Dried beans, Lentils, and Split peas

Pineapple, Beets, Brussels sprouts, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Greens (cooked), Kale, Onion (cooked), Rhubarb, Rutabaga, Spinach, Turnips

Finely chopped: (raw) Parsley

I am pretty excited about this list. First of all, we have been regularly receiving beets, greens, kale, rhubarb, turnips, and parsley from our CSA. The only vegetable that I was able to use from our share before 9 months was carrots. Now I can use a lot more. Also, now I can come up with a lot more interesting food combinations. I am excited to try some new things and see what he likes.

As excited as I am about the rhubarb, I have no idea how to turn it into baby food. I searched the internet for a recipe and found this one (which looks pretty tasty to me, especially since my little guy loves pears):

Very Peary Berry Rhubarb

6 stalks of rhubarb* (wash it, trim it and then cut it into small pieces)
3 pears, peeled, cored and chopped (you may leave the skin on if desired)
1 cup water
½ cup organic apple juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract**
1 pinch cinnamon
½ pound of strawberries, trimmed and cut into fourths***

1. Place water and apple juice in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.

2. Add rhubarb* and simmer until tender, approximately 5-10 minutes.

3. Remove rhubarb and allow it to cool. Once cooled, puree and then add back into the saucepan.

4. Add pears and strawberries*** when the rhubarb has cooked to tender

5. Turn heat down to low, add the vanilla** and pinch of cinnamon and simmer for 5 minutes.

* I know that there may be concerns about oxalates and rhubarb. My research has led me to believe that although rhubarb does contain oxalic acid, the highest amount occurs in the leaves. There are very low instances of oxalates in the stalk (which is the part that is eaten), and it is actually believed that the stalk may contain zero levels of oxalic acids. Let me know if you found contradicting information.

** I am not a fan of using vanilla extract for baby food (for numerous reasons), so I will probably omit this when I make it

*** Since strawberries are not recommended under 12 months, I will probably replace this with another fruit (apples?), but after 12 months I will make it with the strawberries