Preparing pumpkin for baby
Babies can begin eating pumpkin around six months of age. Serve up slightly warmed canned pumpkin or prepare a fresh pumpkin by cutting it in half, scooping out the seeds and baking it, cut-side down. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes or until the pumpkin flesh is soft when poked with a fork. Allow it to cool, then remove the peel and mash the pumpkin to make a simple puree. When the baby is ready for finger foods, the pumpkin can be baked and instead cut into a small dice.
Cooked pumpkin can be kept in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for about a week, or freeze it for up to three months. It may turn a deep golden brown or brownish orange color. This is just the pumpkin oxidizing ““ it is not harmful.
Vary this holiday baby treat, by adding plain yogurt, cottage cheese or mashed bananas to the pumpkin mix. Pureed pumpkin also makes a nutritious addition to baby’s morning cereal. For older children and toddlers, add a few spoonfuls of pureed pumpkin to vegetable soups, beef gravy and even into homemade macaroni and cheese without altering the flavor. Disguise pumpkin’s nutrition for picky eaters.