How to Store Homemade Applesauce

Puree-like preparations for the winter from fresh fruits are an excellent component both for adding to baked goods and for complementary feeding for children.

Many mothers are afraid to purchase commercial baby food products and do not take the risk of doing so. Therefore, making your own applesauce will be an excellent alternative to store-bought products. The beneficial substances contained in ripe fruits will increase the body's resistance to colds in winter, and will also give strength to your loved ones.

It will be a great addition to baked goods and will perfectly replace fresh fruit fillings.

And just perfect as a snack. Even though I’m not little anymore, I really love to enjoy something like this. And I teach the child to do this. Still, this is better than store-bought analogues, and even more so any store-bought yoghurts and desserts.

By the way, thanks to pectin, purees are stored well even in apartment conditions all winter. Therefore, they can be made without preservatives.

Applesauce for the winter at home without sterilization

The main advantage of making apple puree is that you can take any fruit, even the most ugly ones. They just cut off everything that didn’t pass the inspection, that’s all.

I propose to prepare an amazingly tasty and simple dessert for the winter.

To do this, take two kilos of apples, one and a half glasses of water and 350 g of granulated sugar.

The fruits need to be washed, if desired, cut off the skin, remove the seeds and cut into squares. I won’t get rid of the peel, but it’s still useful. And after the blender, you don’t feel it at all.

Place them in an enamel pan, fill with water and place on low heat.

Cook until the apple pieces become loose. If the fruits are hard this may take about 35 minutes.

Next, beat the soft fruits with a blender until smooth.

Add granulated sugar and place on the stove again to cook for 15 minutes.

I like to take small jars, no more than 500 ml. It is advisable to search even less. Be sure to wash them with baking soda and a clean new sponge. I inspect the neck for cracks and only then steam it. Sometimes I sterilize it in the microwave or oven if I need a lot. I make sure to boil the lids for 5 minutes, no less.

We pack the finished puree into a clean, sterile container, wrap it in a warm blanket, let it cool, then put it away for storage in a dark, cool room.

This delicious apple delicacy can be used as a topping for pancakes or other baked goods.

Homemade puree

At home, baby puree should be prepared immediately before use. Storage is contraindicated for it, since cooling and subsequent heating deprive the product of its beneficial properties.

How long can you store homemade puree if there is no other option? No more than 24 hours in the refrigerator, and within 3 months in the freezer.

To freeze a product, place it in ice trays and place it in the freezer. After hardening, the cubes are transferred to special freezing bags or food containers, after which the date must be indicated on them. Then the product is sent to the freezer for 3 months.

When making and freezing baby purees, use only sterile containers and cutlery.

Thawing of the product can occur on the refrigerator shelf or at room temperature.

The easiest recipe without sugar

A treat without granulated sugar is perfect for diabetics and those watching their figure. This method of preparing apples for the winter is the simplest and cheapest. In addition, it retains all the beneficial properties.

Fruit preparations without added sugar are prepared in water or in their own juice. Banks must be pasteurized or sterilized.

For the classic recipe you will need five kilograms of apples, as well as two glasses of water.

In order for the puree to be rich and to be stored for a long time, it is advisable to choose strong fruits with sourness, without defects.

Wash the fruits and cut out the core with seeds.

Cut them into small pieces, put them in a saucepan, and fill them with drinking water.

Turn on high heat on the stove, put the pan with apples and wait for it to boil. As soon as the product boils, reduce the heat and simmer until soft for 20 minutes. Then turn off the heat and cool the fruit mixture slightly. Next, grind with an immersion blender or grind through a sieve. The second option is suitable if we are making preparations for children.

Place the mashed puree back on the stove, bring to a boil, and simmer over low heat until thickened.

Place the product in dry, sterilized jars.

Five kilograms of apples yield four half-liter jars.

How to prepare complementary foods for the winter: rules and recipes

Before preparing the puree, you should prepare the jars and products: the containers must be sterilized, the products are prepared as required by the recipe and blended to obtain a homogeneous mass.

Important! Portions of baby from six months to a year will be small, especially when you introduce a new product, so do not close large portions, because after opening baby puree it will not be possible to store it for a long time even in the refrigerator.

Apples and pears

To prepare applesauce, prepare small jars, wash the selected fruits, peel them and cut them into small pieces so that it is convenient to puree the fruit later.

Boil apple pieces in a small amount of water for about 10-15 minutes. Then they need to be ground or crushed in a blender, placed in sterile jars and again put for sterilization. If you add a little sugar, you will still have to sterilize the puree in jars, since jam cannot be prepared for a baby, and sugar serves as a preservative only when the quantity is large enough.

After sterilizing the puree for 15-20 minutes, the jars are closed in the usual way.

Pear puree is rolled up in the same way.

Plums

Another useful fruit is plum. Of course, it is not given at 6 months, but if the baby turns 7-10 months old in winter, you can treat him with such a delicacy. Despite the fact that you can find these fruits on store shelves even in winter, they will be imported and processed for long-term storage. Therefore, it is recommended to puree from seasonal fruits grown in your region.

To prepare plum puree in a volume of 1 liter, you need to take 1-2 kg of fruits of different colors; you can also choose plain fruits. Add a glass of water to the pitted halves and bring the mixture to a boil. When the plums boil, reduce the heat and boil the fruits for another 8-10 minutes. When they are cooked, the fruit should be ground through a sieve or processed in a blender.

Pour the mixture into prepared jars, place them filled and sterilize for another 10 minutes. Then close using the chosen method.

Broccoli

Vegetable purees are difficult to seal without vinegar, salt and sugar. Therefore, it is recommended to prepare the dish in the traditional way and freeze it. For the first feeding it can be just ice cube trays. For larger portions, you can take disposable glasses, from which it is convenient to remove the product by simply breaking the plastic, and even heat it in the microwave in a plate.

If you want to prepare a multi-component puree for an older baby, you can try sealing it in jars, but you will have to sterilize the finished dish in a container, like fruit.

Convenient complementary foods for winter remain porridge and bananas, which are present on store shelves all year round, and their quality and taste do not change because of this. If you want to diversify your baby’s first feeding, you’ll have to think about it in advance: you can buy puree in jars from well-known brands, or you can prepare it in advance. However, there is one more option: simply freeze fruits, berries, and vegetables, which you can then cook quickly and tasty. Of course, frozen fruits lose their taste, but still remain more suitable for a healthy and safe diet for babies than store-bought dishes prepared from concentrated raw materials.

Applesauce “Nezhenka” with condensed milk

This product has a very delicate taste, which is 100% likely to appeal to both children and adults.

Let's quickly can some applesauce. This does not require special skills or cooking tricks. We will cook using condensed milk, sugar and water. I hope every housewife can find such simple ingredients. Both sour and sweet-sour varieties are suitable for this recipe.

We take condensed milk according to GOST, it should say “whole condensed milk with sugar.” It is sold in tin cans. It won't be the same in any package. By the way, it also turns out delicious with boiled milk)

We will need:

five kilograms of fruit,
1 can of condensed milk,
1 glass of water,
sugar to taste, if the fruits are very sour, then 0.5 cups.

The apples need to be washed and the skin cut off. In this case, it is better to use a vegetable cutter for a faster cleaning process. Next, remove the cores of the fruits and cut each lobe into several parts.

Glass jars: 5 pros and 1 small minus

Glass jars are the first to strike, since these are the ones that the mothers of our blog trust most.

1. Perhaps the most important thing is that glass is considered a chemically neutral packaging

. This means that it does not react with the product. This is why, by the way, glass test tubes are used in laboratories. This is good for mothers because there is no need to carefully feel each jar to see if there is any damage on it.

2. Who, if not the manufacturer himself, can answer better why this particular packaging was chosen? Therefore, we addressed this question to several leaders in the baby food market. “Currently, glass is the optimal packaging for baby food,” one of the main players in the market answered us on the social network. – A glass jar preserves the product well throughout its shelf life. The jar opens with a characteristic pop, confirming that the product is hermetically sealed and has not deteriorated during storage and transportation” (Source). This cotton when opening was the second plus

, which clearly influences the choice of mothers.

Another leader
, whose production is concentrated in Europe, answered this question this way: “Meat purees comply with the requirements of the European Association for Food Safety, WHO recommendations, and regulatory standards of the Russian Federation, therefore glass containers are used” (Source).

3. The next advantage of such packaging is its transparency.

This means that before purchasing, you can consider the color of the puree. If it is in doubt, then it is better to take another jar.

4. The fourth advantage is convenience.

. If the mother is just starting complementary feeding or the baby does not want to eat a jar at a time, then parents can put a few spoons of puree in a separate plate, heat the lunch in a water bath, and close the glass jar with the untouched product and put it in the refrigerator. Note that it is strictly forbidden to reheat the same puree twice and dip a licked spoon into it, so the algorithm of actions should be exactly as we wrote. If it’s a pity to throw away the rest of the heated puree, then it’s better to eat it yourself (for example, spread it on a toasted piece of bread to make bruschetta), treat it to an older child or husband, or give it to a pet.

5. If your child is old enough and already eats a whole jar for lunch, or if you offer meat to your baby on the second day (remember that the shelf life is no more than 24 hours in the refrigerator!), then puree in a glass can be heated in the microwave

. And this is the fifth plus of such packaging. However, please note that manufacturers still recommend a good old water bath, since food is heated unevenly in a microwave oven. This means that the baby runs the risk of getting burned during lunch. If you are still in favor of progress, we recommend stirring the meat before giving it to your child.

Probably the only disadvantage of glass jars
is their weight, which is greater compared to tin packaging. If you take several pieces of puree, the difference is almost not felt. But if the parents decided to shop and then carry all the wealth in their hands...

How to make apple puree in a slow cooker

You can prepare delicious fruit puree using a multifunctional household appliance - a multicooker. To make the aroma of the product rich, it is appropriate to add a pinch of citric acid at the stage of laying apples.

To prepare, take 3.5 kg of already peeled apples, and also prepare 150 grams. granulated sugar and 1.5 cups of water, a pinch of lemon or 2 tbsp. lemon juice.

Cut the fruits into large pieces.

It is better to grease the bottom of the multicooker a little with oil so that the fruit does not stick. Pour them into the multicooker bowl, fill with water, close and cook in the “Stew” mode for 30 minutes.

Next, transfer the apple mass into a deep saucepan, grind it with a blender, then add sugar.

You can let it finish cooking on the stove or put it back into the slow cooker and cook for 8 minutes on the “Porridge” program.

A simple fruit treat recipe done!

Is it possible to make puree for the winter?

Traditionally, sugar is added to fruit preparations, and vinegar with salt and the same sugar is added to vegetable preparations, so many believe that it is absolutely impossible to prepare such dishes for children. In fact, there are a lot of recipes that will help you prepare baby puree without harmful ingredients.

Nevertheless, many mothers, after the first try of an unsalted and unsweetened dish, still add a sprinkle of salt or sugar to their baby’s food so that its taste is pleasant. This is exactly what those parents who adhere to the rules of pedagogical complementary feeding do, because sooner or later the baby will have to be transferred to the common table. And in order for this transition to be as safe as possible and without consequences, the child should be introduced to adult food gradually. Of course, parents should also eat wisely - with an understanding of the importance of diet for the health of the family.

First of all, you should understand the principles of making baby puree with your own hands:

Vegetables are steamed, boiled or baked.
Fruits are usually given fresh, but it is not advisable to choose fresh apples for the first complementary feeding - they quite irritate the intestinal mucosa, and the baby may experience discomfort. These fruits can be boiled in a minimum amount of water or baked. It is convenient to start fruit feeding with bananas or pears.
The finished product is thoroughly ground in a blender until a homogeneous mushy mass is obtained.

Applesauce with cream for the winter for children

Surely no mother will refuse to pamper her child with healthy and delicious puree. To obtain a nutritious and varied product, we will add delicious cream to our apples. It is better to take them with a fat content of 30%.

Peel two kilos of apples and remove the core and seeds. It is advisable to use sweet and sour varieties. If you have sweet fruits, then you don't need to add sugar.

Just don’t take late or foreign varieties. Agronomist specialists do not recommend using them for processing and further preparation of baby food.

Thinly slice the fruit and add 100 ml of water. Add 150 gr. sugar, set to simmer over low heat for no longer than 25 minutes.

Then put the mixture into a blender and beat.

Next, pour in the cream and mix again with a blender or mixer. The result is an airy, light-colored fruit puree.

Pour the finished dessert for children into small jars and roll up the lids.

Before doing this, be sure to sterilize the dishes.

You can use regular applesauce in various variations - there are many ideas for preparing new delicious dishes.

The main thing is to make the preparation correctly so as not to spoil the product into which you will add this puree.

Mix it with oatmeal, cottage cheese, natural yogurt or chopped fruit. Add to stews, fish or vegetable meatballs. Add it to healthy milkshakes and smoothies.

Try cooking according to our recipes and pamper your household with a delicate fruit dessert.

Hi Hi! During the apple harvest season, the question of how to prepare these fruits for future use becomes relevant. The most popular preparations are: clear jam, marmalade or all kinds of compotes. More experienced chefs make real homemade wine from the fruits. But few people process fruits into purees, but in vain. After all, the dessert turns out to be very tasty and healthy.

Applesauce is usually prepared according to one recipe, and the classic version involves a brew without any additives. This, in turn, is good because the product can be used in baby food and used as complementary food for babies. Usually the delicacy has a sweet and sour taste and has a pronounced fruit aroma.

If you are making treats for children, I recommend using baby food jars for rolling, it’s very convenient!

You can use all the recipes as a basis, they are proven and 100% high quality. And in order to diversify the taste of the dessert, instead of sugar, you can add berries, other fruits, cream and condensed milk, as well as ground cinnamon.

How to store baby puree

Modern manufacturers produce baby food in sealed jars that are easy to store. Fruit, vegetable and meat purees are sold in small containers, inside of which a vacuum environment is maintained. Thanks to this, the product does not spoil and does not harbor pathogenic microorganisms. Closed jars can be stored at room temperature, excluding the product from exposure to sunlight: strong heating will spoil the food before the stated expiration date.

On the shelves you can find purees in Tetra Pak bags. The food is in no way inferior to purees in glass jars. In addition, it is cheaper and does not allow sunlight to pass through, which has a positive effect on the nutritional and taste qualities of the product. The main disadvantage of such containers is its fragility. The package is easily wrinkled, which causes its deformation, and with a strong impact the integrity of the product can be compromised.

It is recommended that after purchasing food, you read the information on its label. Usually the shelf life of the jar when unopened and the temperature at which the product remains fresh are indicated.

The easiest applesauce recipe for the winter

I would like to immediately note one important point. The less heat treatment of fruits, the more vitamins will be retained in the fruit. Therefore, to reduce heat treatment, it is advisable to cut the apples as little as possible.

Ingredients:

Apples -1 kg;
Sugar - 150 gr.;
Water - 200 ml.

If you have very sweet fruits, then add much less sugar.

Cooking method:

1. Rinse the fruits well and remove the peel. Then cut the fruits in half and cut out the core, and cut the apples themselves into large cubes. Place them in a saucepan.

2. Fill the pieces with water and place the pan on the stove. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the contents for 20 minutes, stirring the contents occasionally.

3. After cooking, cool the fruits. And then grind them with a blender or rub through a sieve.

4. Add sugar to the puree consistency and stir. Put it back on the fire and bring the treat to a boil.

5. As soon as the treat boils, turn off the heat and pour into sterilized jars. Seal the preparations tightly, cool and store in a cool and dark place.

Applesauce without sugar

Applesauce for babies without sugar. This wonderful puree recipe is also great for dietary and therapeutic nutrition.

Ingredients:

Apples - any delicious
Water – purified drinking water

Step-by-step preparation:

Wash the apples thoroughly, trim the skin, remove the seed pod and cut into medium cubes. But the finer they are chopped, the faster they will stew.
Fill the pan with water at the rate of 1 tbsp for 1 apple. water. Water is necessary so that the apples do not burn at the beginning of cooking, and then they will stew in their own juice.
Keep the pan over low heat with the lid on. Simmer the fruit until cooked, and during the process, stir occasionally and monitor the volume of liquid; you may have to add it.
The average stewing time is 5-30 minutes, depending on the hardness of the apples.
Punch the finished fruits with a blender or rub through a sieve.
Immerse the puree in sterilized jars, which are sterilized in a basin for 10-15 minutes in hot water, as described in the previous recipe.
Then roll it up with sterile lids and keep it in a cool room.

Applesauce “Nezhenka” with condensed milk

Many people think that since we are preparing a homogeneous mass, then any fruit will do, even those that are already beginning to rot. They say we’ll cut off all the bad places and everything will be fine. In fact, this is not so, and such fruits cannot be used in cooking. Otherwise you will ruin the whole taste.

Therefore, if you want to get a real tasty treat, then under no circumstances cut everything. And take advantage of the following technologies. Condensed milk will make the delicacy truly magical and tender.

Ingredients:

Apples - 2 kg;
Condensed milk - 100 ml;
Water - 400 ml.

If you have store-bought fruit, be sure to cut off the peel. Since they are very often processed and waxed.

Cooking method:

1. Wash the fruits, cut out the core, peel and remove bruised areas. Cut into slices and place in a saucepan.

You can choose any variety of apples for making puree.

2. Now pour water.

3. Bring everything to a boil, reduce heat and simmer the contents until the fruits soften. Don't forget to stir the fruit.

4. Then lower the blender and chop the apples. Add condensed milk, put the pan on the fire. Bring to a boil again and simmer for a few minutes.

Read also: Preserving onions for the winter

5. Now place the dessert in clean and heated jars, close with sterile lids.

Store-bought or homemade

Every mother answers this question herself, but, as a rule, several jars of industrial production still stand on the shelves and wait in the wings. This is a prudent approach: the mother, on the one hand, cooks for the baby herself, and on the other, she doesn’t bother or worry if sometimes she has to give him store-bought purees.

By the way, pediatricians advise starting complementary feeding with jars. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, it is accurately examined for all kinds of microbes. As you know, both raw materials and finished products undergo more than 200 checks before they reach stores.

Pediatrician and our
author Lyudmila Ignatieva
visited a baby food production plant and shared her impressions.

“If you live in a village, grow your own vegetables and fruits, have homemade eggs and dairy products, then, of course, your child should be given his own food, grown with love, without the use of any chemical fertilizers, in accordance with his age,” writes Lyudmila. – But there are very few such parents now, so I am for industrial baby food. If any problems arise, the manufacturer will always bear responsibility, unlike market sellers.”

You can read the report in full (and it turned out to be interesting!) here.

The second reason that it is better to first choose industrially produced meat is that it is homogenized (we are now talking about the first complementary feeding), so the membranes of the muscle cells are destroyed. Because of this, such puree is better absorbed by the growing body. But it is more difficult for the baby to process meat cooked by the mother. Therefore, pediatricians advise starting complementary feeding with jars, and by 9-10 months you can switch to homemade feeding, if the parents have such a desire.

The third reason is the convenience of the mother herself. The first complementary foods are introduced literally one spoon at a time. Can you imagine, if a woman cooks herself, how much effort she will have to spend so that her baby literally just tries a new product

A simple recipe for apple puree without sugar for children

If you are going to prepare a treat for small children and give it to infants, then choose only green and yellow apple varieties. Since red fruits can cause allergies. Naturally, adding sugar is also not recommended.

Ingredients:

Cooking method:

1. Wash the fruits thoroughly and sort them.

2. Remove the core from the fruits and cut them into slices. Then place the pieces into the pan. Pour water over the apples and place over low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil.

During the heating process, the fruit should release juice, which should cover all the pieces. If the fruits are not all covered with juice, then after boiling, stir the contents so that the juice is distributed evenly.

3. After boiling, boil the contents for 5-7 minutes until the fruits are soft. Then cool them and grind them through a sieve or using a food processor.

4. You should have a soft puree.

5. Next, transfer the dessert into a saucepan and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Then remove from heat and immediately pour into sterilized jars. Roll up the glass and cool. Place it in storage.

Store-bought puree

Factory sealed baby food containers can be stored even at room temperature. The manufacturer creates a vacuum environment inside each of them, which minimizes the development of harmful microorganisms. But if baby puree is stored without a refrigerator, the product is placed in a cool place, protected from sunlight. It should be understood that when heated, the contents of the containers will deteriorate faster than the period specified by the manufacturer.

Tetra Pak cardboard packaging is no less convenient than glass or metal packaging. The product can also be stored in it for a long time. Unlike a glass jar, cardboard does not allow sunlight to pass through and is cheaper.

The disadvantage of cardboard packaging is its relative fragility. They are easily deformed and may lose their seal during transportation.

Even in the store, you need to familiarize yourself with the information that is present on the container with baby food. First of all, pay attention to the release date of the product and its expiration date.

Preparing applesauce for the winter in a slow cooker

In fact, cooking a treat is a pleasure. However, pay attention to the fact that during the cooking process it may “spit”, so do not get burned. Or throw the whole thing into a slow cooker. Moreover, the following recipe will tell you everything in detail on this issue.

Ingredients:

Cooking method:

1. First, wash the fruits, remove the peel, seeds and stalks.

2. Then cut the fruit into slices of any shape.

3. Pour clean water into the multicooker bowl. Turn the device on to heat and wait until bubbles appear. When the water boils, transfer the prepared slices into it.

4. Now set the “Stew” mode and cook the fruits until they soften, stirring the contents periodically. Cooking time varies from 25 minutes to 40, depending on the variety of apples.

5. After cooking, leave the fruit to cool and then puree it using a blender. Also, at this stage, if desired, you can add sugar or cinnamon.

6. Now mix the mass thoroughly until it becomes perfectly homogeneous.

7. Prepare the jars: wash them and sterilize them.

8. Next, pour the dessert into glass and send for sterilization.

9. Close the workpieces with clean lids, wrap them in a blanket and leave until completely cool. And then put it in the pantry for storage.

Shelf life of apples

First of all, the shelf life of apples depends on the variety, and secondly, on the conditions created. The optimal temperature indicator is considered to be a level from +1 to +5 degrees. Air humidity should not exceed 95%.

Shelf life of apples depending on variety:

winter varieties are stored for 7 months;
autumn varieties remain fresh for 2 months.

Apples will remain fresh for several months if their storage temperature is stable and at the level of -1-+1 degrees.

A sliced apple will keep for a maximum of 12 hours in the refrigerator . In room conditions, within a few hours it will acquire weathered and darkened flesh. You can extend the shelf life of sliced apples by using a plastic bag with pre-punched holes. The workpiece is placed in the refrigerator and may not lose its appearance throughout the day.

The degree of ripeness also affects the shelf life of apples . Unripe fruits will last for several months at the right temperature, but ripe fruits can begin to deteriorate within a few weeks. At temperatures of +12 degrees and above, any apples begin to wrinkle and dry out. If the surface of the fruit becomes covered with wrinkles, then its taste is already impaired and the apple rapidly loses its juiciness.

in room conditions (but dark and cool areas);
in a refrigerator;
on the balcony.

Applesauce with cream for children

For older children, and for adults too, I suggest the following recipe. It is no different from the previous options, only for tenderness and aroma we will add cream. It turns out incredibly tasty.

Ingredients:

Apples – 2 kg;
Cream 30-35% – 200 ml;
Water – 100 ml;
Sugar – 150 grams.

Cooking method:

1. Wash the fruits and peel them. Remove the core and cut into pieces.

2. Then put them in a saucepan and fill with water. Place on fire and close with a lid. Cook the fruits over low heat, stirring the treat occasionally. Cooking time is approximately 30-40 minutes.

3. When the dessert softens, immerse the blender in the pan and chop the softened apples. Add sugar and return to low heat, bringing to a boil.

4. Next, pour in the cream and mix the deliciousness well. Over low heat, bring the puree back to a boil and then simmer for 5-7 minutes.

At this stage, stir the treat constantly so that nothing burns.

5. Pour the hot treat into sterilized jars, roll up the lids and turn upside down. Cover with a blanket and cool.

Apple and pear puree according to the simplest recipe for the winter

Don’t forget that dessert can not only be drunk with tea, spread on bread, but also used as a filling for buns and pies, or even as a base for juice.

I note that puree usually has a fairly thick consistency. Therefore, if you want to get a more liquid version, then add another pear to the composition. It is much juicier than apples, so the dessert will be softer and more tender.

Ingredients:

Apples - 2 kg;
Pears - 2 kg;
Lemon - 1 pc.;
Sugar - 4 cups.

Cooking method:

1. Wash and peel the apples. Grind them in a blender, squeeze out the resulting puree, and pour the juice into a separate bowl.

2. Do the same with pears: wash, peel, chop and squeeze. Mix juice with apple juice.

Combine apple and pear puree, add squeezed lemon juice, mix and add sugar. And then pour in the juice that was obtained by squeezing the fruit.

3. Place the mixture on the fire and bring to a boil, stirring the contents occasionally. Sterilize the jars and boil the lids. After boiling, immediately place the dessert into prepared containers.

4. Cover the jars with lids and place in a water bath for 20 minutes.

5. After 20 minutes, carefully remove the jars and roll them up. Cool the pieces and put them in a storage place.

I think it's time to finish for today. I hope this easy homemade recipe will be a hit in your home and will be enjoyed by all your guests.

If you have any questions, don’t be shy and write in the comments, we’ll discuss it together. And also don’t forget to share the post on social networks, I will be grateful)!

Read also: Photo of boletus mushroom in the forest

Food Storage Recommendations

To avoid troubles associated with your child eating spoiled puree, you should adhere to several rules:

Store closed jars of puree in a dry, dark place. A closet or pantry is ideal for this. Although packaging should protect the product from spoilage, high temperatures will encourage the growth of bacteria.
Turn the jars over to the side where the expiration date is indicated. Place containers that will expire faster in advance and use them first.
Store opened jars in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours with the lid tightly closed.
Do not store contaminated containers. If the child was fed directly from a jar, it is better to throw it away. Microorganisms from saliva will get into the food, their growth will begin, which will make the puree unsuitable for feeding a baby.
Make sure that open jars are not left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. microorganisms multiply quickly in heat and the product will become unsafe for the child.
Never feed your baby purees that have expired, as this can lead to poisoning and illness.

The issue of storing baby food must be approached responsibly. These simple recommendations will allow you to save the product until your baby's next feeding. Do not forget that sometimes it is difficult to recognize a spoiled product, since it can retain its color and smell throughout its shelf life. Take care of your baby’s health, because no one will take care of this better than a mother.

At what age to start

If the first complementary food (vegetables) is introduced to the child from 6 months, the second (porridge) - from 7 months, then fruits can be introduced as the third. Thus, the child will become acquainted with fruits when he is 8 months old. The age for introducing fruits into the diet may vary depending on how many months the baby began to be fed.

Apples are highly acidic and contain coarse dietary fiber. When eating fruits earlier, the baby often develops eating disorders and allergies.

How long does homemade applesauce last?

Dear Club members, help dispel my doubts.

Here in Bona Dea’s post Food from 6 months to a year, I made a note that you can prepare purees for your child yourself, and seal them in jars for 3 days in advance.

Today the devil pulled me to tell my mother about this: they say, how can it be, Semyon Semyonich! And yesterday I just tried to seal boiled potatoes in jars, put them in the refrigerator, today I added them to store-bought cauliflower puree - great, the consistency was the same as yesterday, nothing thickened, hardened, or darkened.

Our grandmother fell into a panic: the puree cannot be stored for three days, it turns dark, and don’t poison the child at all, in case you end up with an infectious disease again.

Honestly, I myself am very careful when giving my child anything homemade, because... Nevertheless, products from large, trusted manufacturers are certified and tested, but at home, whatever one may say, they are not sterile.

So, give your opinion: how long can you store home-cooked vegetables in the form of puree for an 8-month-old baby, based on the following introductory information:

– vegetables from the supermarket, boiled, mixed with a blender

– baby food jars are washable and I even sterilized them over steam yesterday (is it necessary or is there no point?)

– the whole thing is put into jars hot (but not boiling water, of course)

– this morning, when opening the jar, a pop was heard, like a store-bought puree.

Well, how long can it be stored? Otherwise, my grandmother reproached me: “I could cook it every day, it’s okay!”

Author of the advice: Svetlana Bril Date of publication: 03/31/2014

We continue our series of tips for parents who have their first child. In the previous advice we talked about the safety of the child in the first months of life, this time we’ll talk about preparing the very first food for him.

When the baby grows a little, the time comes to gradually introduce him to adult food. How and where exactly to start feeding a child a pediatrician should recommend. The first dish can be either porridge, or fruit puree, or vegetable puree. It is usually recommended to start complementary feeding with cereals for children who do not gain the required weight. Sometimes it is advised to start complementary feeding with fruit purees when the iron stored during intrauterine life has already been used up and new intake is not enough. However, after introducing delicious fruit puree into the diet, not every child will agree to eat zucchini or cauliflower puree.

Fruit selection

Ready-made purees often contain food additives - starch, sugar and citric acid. A child who is familiar with a problem such as food allergies should not be given these products. To be sure of the quality of the puree, it is better to prepare it yourself. It’s not difficult to do this at home, the main thing is to find quality fruits.

Apples should not contain large amounts of nitrates and be subject to long-term storage and chemical treatment . White and green fruits from your own garden are ideal. But if he is not there, you can turn to your friends. Finding safe fruits in a store or market will be more difficult - often even farmers who position their products as environmentally friendly use fertilizers and chemicals.

Storing opened puree

Once the jar is opened, the shelf life of the product is sharply reduced. Most manufacturers recommend consuming the food immediately or storing it in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. If the baby is very small and cannot handle a whole jar, you can feed the baby twice this way. But you can’t heat the whole jar. It is better to put a small portion in a separate container and heat it in a steam bath. The optimal storage temperature for an open jar is about 0-4 0C. If the temperature is higher, the shelf life is reduced to 6 hours.

Some difficulties arise with homemade purees. This food can only be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days. To extend the shelf life of food, simply freeze it. The cooled product is placed in containers and frozen using the “emergency freezing” mode. When it's time to feed your baby, you need to take one portion out of the container and defrost it on the stove or in a warmer.

Cooking methods

It is much easier to find a recipe for making a healthy treat than to choose good fruits for it. Typically, applesauce for babies is prepared in two ways - with and without heat treatment.

To avoid food poisoning, it is better to give a baby no older than 6 months puree from heat-treated fruits. If you cook the apples first, they will be better digestible. After cooking, the acidity of the product decreases, pectin fibers soften, which promotes digestion. Reduces the likelihood of eating disorders and bloating.

You can prepare apples in various ways - boiling, steaming, baking. Don't be afraid of losing vitamins after cooking apples.

Up to 60-80% of all nutrients remain in finished apples. Vitamin C is destroyed the most, but this helps reduce the acidity of the finished puree. It is better to use a recipe with a cooking method that produces the smallest amount of broth, since some of the nutrients pass into the broth, i.e. steam or bake the fruit.

Food from a jar is more expensive than homemade food

In fact, in order for a child’s diet to be varied and balanced, feeding him only pureed potatoes, zucchini and apples is not enough. It is also necessary to include in your baby’s diet dishes with the addition of plums, apricots and other berries and fruits. And if it’s not the season for them, you’ll have to fork out a lot. After all, out-of-season products are many times more expensive. Therefore, ready-made puree in jars is no more expensive than what you prepare at home.

Each parent decides independently what to feed their baby. But purees and juices in jars provide the child with all the necessary vitamins and microelements, and also prepare his gastrointestinal tract for adult food.

Preparation of puree with heat treatment

The applesauce recipe includes three steps:

fruit preparation;
cooking using the chosen method;
chopping finished apples.

What you need to do with apples before you start cooking:

wash with soap or baking soda;
rinse with boiled water;
peel and core;
cut into slices.

If the apples are baked in the oven, there is no need to peel or cut them. Before baking in the microwave, they are peeled and cut into pieces. When the fruits are prepared, they are processed in any of the following ways.

How long should you cook apples?

cook for 2-3 minutes;
steam in a multicooker/steamer for 15-20 minutes;
bake in the oven in a mold or foil for 15-20 minutes;
bake in the microwave in a bowl, adding a couple of tablespoons of water, 10 minutes at maximum power

All that remains to be done is to chop the fruit.

For the smallest apples, it is preferable to grind them in a blender or rub them through a sieve to obtain a uniform consistency. For older children who can chew food, apples can be grated or crushed with a fork.

As you can see, the applesauce recipe is very simple, and it won’t be difficult to repeat it.

Recently, convenient household appliances for preparing baby food have appeared - steamers-blenders. All you need to do is put the prepared fruits or vegetables into the steamer. After cooking, you need to turn the device over, which will grind everything until smooth. Such a device will come to the aid of mothers who have absolutely no time to prepare homemade food for their child, but also have no desire to feed them with store-bought products.

Prepared baby puree can be rolled into jars. But before this, the container must be sterilized, and the puree itself must be brought to a boil in a separate container before adding.

Making puree without heat treatment

This recipe allows you to preserve the nutrients as much as possible. However, in babies no older than 6 months, such a product can cause digestive upset due to the high acidity of apples and the content of indigestible fiber in them. Against the background of digestive disorders, allergies may worsen if the baby has a tendency to it. Therefore, it is better to offer fresh fruit puree to an older child, when he has already mastered a new way of eating and is actively eating complementary foods.

Fruits are prepared in the same way as before heat treatment, then crushed with a blender or rubbed through a sieve. When your baby develops chewing skills, you can simply grate the apples.

Fresh puree should be consumed immediately, since upon contact with air and exposure to light, the beneficial substances are quickly destroyed.

It is not recommended to give infants puree with sugar, since the pancreas in infancy is not able to cope with its excess. Excess sugar causes intestinal fermentation and provokes allergic reactions.

How many spoons should you start giving a new product? As with any other type of complementary feeding, start with 1/2-1 teaspoon in the first half of the day, and then carefully monitor the child’s reaction. Although apples are considered hypoallergenic, some babies have food allergies to them, so any new product should be introduced with caution.

Making your own applesauce is quite simple. The recipe is described in detail in the article. The main thing is to choose good and safe fruits. And it is necessary to start giving a new product gradually - then digestive disorders and allergies will bypass the child.

How to choose puree for complementary feeding

When buying puree for a baby in order to stock up, you must carefully follow the rules for storing baby puree, which the manufacturer indicates on the packaging. It is also necessary to pay attention to the expiration date.

It should be remembered that storage rules could have been violated even when the product was in the store’s warehouse. Therefore, if any signs after opening the jar suggest that the product is spoiled, you should not give it to your child, even if the expiration date has not yet expired.

When purchasing, you should also pay attention to the composition of the product stated on the packaging. A high-quality product made from vegetables or fruits should not contain any foreign additives - only fruits, vegetables and water.

The main criterion that should be followed when making a choice in favor of a particular product should be its beneficial qualities for a particular child.

In particular, for a resident of the middle zone, exotic, unfamiliar fruits will be less useful than the more familiar pumpkin or apple. Fruits and vegetables grown in the area in which the child was born and lives will be better absorbed by the body and will cause fewer unwanted reactions.

Therefore, when choosing baby purees, it makes sense to give preference to products from local manufacturers.

Store-bought baby puree can be packaged in packaging made from the following materials:

from glass;
made of metal;
from cardboard.

It is not possible to accurately answer the question of which material provides the most reliable and safe storage of baby puree. Each option has its own positive and negative qualities.

Storing baby puree in glass containers prevents the glass from interacting with the contents and changing the properties of the product. However, one of the serious disadvantages of glass containers is its fragility.

A metal container will not break if handled carelessly, and baby puree can be stored in canned form for much longer. But storing baby purees in open metal containers is highly undesirable.

Cardboard packaging (tetrapack) is the most affordable option. At the same time, the quality of the product inside the tetrapack is not inferior to those packaged in glass or metal. The disadvantage of a tetra pack, like a metal jar, is the inability to see the condition and quality of the product through the wall, as is possible in the case of a glass jar.