Feeding a baby- with local/seasonal foods, in ME

[tommom]

I am thinking about starting to introduce foods to my dd 7 months. I have been trying to move toward feeding my family primarily local, seasonal foods as it is finally summer here in Maine. I need a little help here from someone a little more experienced than I. When my ds was a baby I fed him bananas, avacado, and all sorts of foods from all over the world. He had a wonderful diet and continues to be a fantastic eater. Considering I live in Maine, where bananas and avacados will never grow, how do I start feeding this baby? She is nursing all the time so I'm not really looking for nutrition so much as to develop her palette, eating habits/ skills, etc. Greens are in season and berries are abundant but those are on the list of foods that are high allergens. Thoughts?

[avendesora]

Applesauce, sweet potato, yogurt, green peas. Pieces off your plate.

Aven

[Mere]

Yes, what the pp said...do a search for 'baby led weaning' in the baby forums, they have lots of great ideas about how to feed babies food from your plates.

I guess we did do bananas and avocados, which are definitely not local! However, we also did lots of pears, applesauce, homemade bread with butter, um...I can't even think of what else. Large (soft) chunk of whatever we were eating.

[naturemama1]

Does it count as "local" if I grow avocados, bananas, and citrus on dwarf fruit trees inside my house? LOL.

I know what you mean, though. We eat seasonally but we freeze summer butter, fruit, veggies, etc., to use during the winter -- so we don't *really* eat seasonally, ykwim? Where I grew up, lemons and oranges grow year round. My and my husband's very northern-European ancestors weren't eating a lot of fresh salad greens and roasted asparagus during most of the year.

For me, getting a wide variety of nutrient-packed food trumps eating 100% local or seasonal. We live seasonally as a lifestyle, and it influences our shopping, cooking, sleep habits, education and activities, daily rhythm, and pace of life. Our food palette shifts to reflect the seasons, and I find or grow the vast majority of our food locally. But I'm not ready for a life without Alaskan salmon.


Where in ME are you? We have an awesome permaculture social group, offering classes, coops, garden tours, community, and lots of fun. Come meet the locavores!

[SageR]

I pretty much just give my baby some of whatever I'm eating. If it could pose a choking hazard I chew it up a little bit first and then pop it in his mouth. Otherwise I just give him some and he eats it himself (or not!) The only things I don't give him are nuts and shellfish, but he's over a year.

I don't think there is a healthy way to be 100% local/seasonal in a place like Maine. The only people who can eat purely seasonally are those with year round growing seasons or who migrate. I also don't think you get kicked out of the locavore club if you eat some things from away. Even Jessica Prentice eats some foods from away - she's got a list in her book. Personally, I feel a lot of stress trying to adhere to a perfect local/TF diet. Stress is terrible for your health, so I feel like it balances out a bit if I continue to enjoy some things. Bananas, avocados, nuts, coconut products, spices - they're not staples in my home but I do buy them.