Vermiposting.

Vermiposting.

Getting a move on the backyard in little baby steps. First step was to decide how I wanted to compost and I chose this method and ordered a system that hasn't arrived yet. Once it arrives, I'll take some of the kitchen waste we've been saving along with paper and brown garden waste to "start" the rotting process. The worms come a week after the vermiposter has arrived.

I ordered a smallish system because I have a smallish family and will post more details after it arrives. It'll be put in a shady part of the yard.

I look forward to showing Astrid the worms.

Making Your Own Baby Food.

When my kids were little, I thought formula was poison and was even concerned about commercial baby food. The same scares you hear about now were happening then:

Commercial Baby Food Scares.

When Astrid turned six months old, I started making baby food for her. The rice cereal was more work than it was worth. All I had to do on my end was turn the rice into more of a flour consistency, but No. 1 then had to boil while whisking the flour and it turned out pretty gummy anyway. Commercial baby cereals are dehydrated, so no boiling is necessary. You can buy whole grain, organic baby cereal. Astrid is currently on a mix of Wheat, Spelt, and Barley with no ill effects. Just squirt breast milk in with a Tablespoon of cereal in a little bowl and stir.

Banana and avocado couldn't be frozen, but were simply mashed or mashed with a little distilled water added. The first vegetable I made for freezing was sweet potatoes from my garden last year mixed with sugarless apple sauce. My sweet potatoes never grew to be very sweet. Her second dish was organic baby carrots mixed with sugarless apple sauce. Then, pears and plums from the grocery store. Then, a bag of frozen peas. This week, I got small sweet potatoes, huge peaches, and zucchini from the local Farmer's Market.

Boiling sweet potatoes from Farmer's Market after peeling and slicing:



Puree.



Once food is pureed, put in ice-cube tray. One cube = 1 tablespoon (or a little more if you want). I used trays with lids so could only make the cubes as high as the lid would hit.

If cooking more than one food at a time, you may want to label them. Peaches look a lot like sweet potatoes once pureed. Correct spelling is not important.



I let them freeze a day or two and then empty them into freezer containers to give to No. 1. [I used freezer bags] Make sure you get as much air out of the container as possible or they'll get freezer burn. At mealtimes, she can simply nuke a cube (or a cube of each she has in mind for the meal). Heat another way if you're opposed to microwaving.

If you make baby food, how do YOU do it?

More on 2010 Election.

Parts II and III published at Deanie's Blue Inkblots. Scroll down to read Part II first and then scroll up to read Part III.