The NY Times has discovered fresh and fresh-frozen organic baby food, and it turns out there are now East Coast-West Coast rivalries a-brewing that could dwarf the LA Bo-Baby/Ho-Baby tussle.
Brooklyn-based Happy Baby makes fresh-frozen quinoa [it's KIN-wah, I learned the embarassing way] and stuff that come in little ice cube tray-looking things; they sell through FreshDirect and Gourmet Garage.
Meanwhile,Evie's Organic Edibles are at Whole Foods and Fairway, but they'll also deliver fresh-frozen food all over Manhattan.
Plum Organics doesn't deliver in Manhattan, but that's probably because they're based in Massachusetts, and they're too busy getting in to Wegman's, Wild Oats, and Whole Foods, too.
The story really tries to forefront the exotic spices and ingredients and the whole "This is what babies eat in other countries!" angle, but when you read the actual menus--and when you see the tubs in the store freezer, too, frankly--it's really all just the same half dozen vegetables you could have your housekeeper puree for you anyway. So what's the big deal?
A New Tasting Menu In The Baby Section [nyt]
Interesting timing dept: The Wall St Journal had a taste test of various fresh organic baby foods just a couple of weeks ago. [via slashfood]
Greg,
I love the site.
Baby food is really just a few month thing if you think about it. They don't eat, then they eat the spoon fed stuff for a few months, then they are on to chucky stuff. We probably bought a grand total of 10 jars of baby food for both of our kidos. Can't figure out why they need a whole aisle for the stuff at my local Raaaalphs. My advice, do as the rest of the world and just feed them what you eat.
I think I would immediately cut off contact with any friends who I saw feeding this to your kids. Not that it isn't perfectly good food. But the notion that somehow you're being a better parent, expanding your child's horizons; it's all just too damned precious.
We fed our daughter "exotic foods," but not in any non-traditional form. We just gave her some off of our plate. We did it because (a) that's what we were eating, and (b) she seemed to like the stuff with a little flavor rather than the bland stuff.
We kept the yogurt handy for when she started scratching her tongue, complaining it was too spicy.
As for the quinoa -- I understand it is complete protien, and we like the stuff, but.. a frozen dessert?!?
Hmm, so if I buy this fancy-pants baby food, I'm somehow a better parent, but the notion of making it myself has my husband all up in arms that he married a hippy.
Can't wait to see the look of shock and embarassement on his and other's faces in a few months when we're out at a restaurant and I pull out the food grinder and just feed whatever I'm having. Bwahahahaha...
[Whoa, people, it's frozen food. Do I think my Stouffer's pizza makes me better than the guy behind me with the Gino's? You can go to Whole Foods as part of your "lifestyle" if you want, or you can just go because it's the grocery store. Take your pick. -ed.]