Local Winter Foods: Baby Foods
Originally published in Peninsula Families Today, an advertising supplement produced by Peninsula Daily News and Sequim Gazette
Anything parents can do to establish healthy eating habits in their children is a gift that will last them a lifetime. Winter is a great time of year to have fun with kids in the kitchen, cultivating positive feelings about cooking their own meals and using healthy ingredients. Delicious local root vegetables and greens will boost their immune systems during the colder months, and to help kids grow healthy and strong!
On the Olympic Peninsula, area farmers still harvest fresh local food in the winter, thanks to the unique year-round growing climate, and sheer determination. You can find winter roots, such as carrots, beets and parsnips that can be grated into salads and sandwiches, diced into soups, steamed or roasted.
The colder it gets, the sweeter some veggies become! They produce sugars that act as an antifreeze to protect their cell structure when the temperature drops below freezing. Kales, collards, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and parsnips all get a little sweeter in the winter months. So give your kid a local carrot to crunch on, maybe dipped in peanut butter, hummus or a yogurt-based dip for added nutrition. Carrots can also be blended into smoothies, steamed and mashed into baby foods, or juiced.
Carrots
One of the healthiest ways to cook carrots is simple and really makes their flavor pop. Chop a carrot into ¼-inch matchstick pieces or rounds, and then steam them for five minutes. When they are easily pierced with a fork, toss them in a bowl, and drizzle with some olive oil and lemon juice, plus a bit of salt and pepper.
Beets
Also in season are beautiful red, golden and Chiogga beets. Take full advantage of their antioxidants and vitamins by grating them raw onto salads. Or watch your kids make them disappear into their bellies when steamed or roasted. To roast, lightly coat bite-sized pieces of beets with vegetable oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, layer on a baking sheet, and roast in a high oven (400°F) for 15 minutes. Turn and roast again until tender and slightly caramelized. Remove and allow to cool so the kids can pick them up with their fingers.
Winter Squash
Winter squashes are really packed with the vitamins, and kids will have fun picking out colorful varieties and helping you prepare them. Knock off the stem with the butt of a big knife, or a hammer. Then bring a chair to the sink and let your child scrub the skin. Place the squash on a pie plate or baking dish, and bake it whole in the oven at 350°F until it’s tender all the way through. Many squashes, including delicata, butternut, buttercup and kabocha have edible skins. If the skin is tender when cooked, you can eat it!
Experiment with steamed squash or carrot toppings and explore different tastes with kids. A drizzle of local raw honey, toasted sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast or sour cream are all fun to try. Mix in some rice or quinoa and a few pinches of minced parsley or cilantro and see what they like! Reintroducing new veggies several times, in several ways, can yield positive results.
Make your own baby food!
Baby food is a cinch this time of year. Cut squash, purple sweet potatoes, yams and carrots into chunks, and steam until tender. Then mash with a fork, or use a blender to whirl it all up. Thin with milk, water or broth as desired.
Making your own baby food means that baby is eating whole fresh foods with the rest of the family, without added sugars or preservatives. It’s economical and easy to make a blender-full at a time and freeze leftovers into ice cube trays. Then pop frozen cubes into freezer bags and label and simply thaw and reheat for a quick organic meal or snack.
Find local produce at the Port Angeles Farmers Market, open year-round on Saturdays, 10 am-2 pm, at the Gateway Center in downtown Port Angeles. You can also find it at local retailers and eateries.