- Apples – 2.5 kg.
- Water – 100 ml.
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 2 jars of 0.5 l.
Applesauce is a favorite dish among children, both the youngest and older children. The first complementary feeding is often started with it. Today we will prepare baby apple puree for the winter. Of course, completely canned food, even homemade, cannot replace a freshly prepared product, but sometimes they can be a solution when there is no time to cook.
Since salt and sugar are usually avoided for very young children, we will prepare applesauce for the winter for children under one year old without sugar - the recipe will include additional sterilization of the finished product so that the product does not spoil.
Apples are good for babies
Applesauce for babies contains many vitamins, organic acids and elements that are needed to normalize metabolic processes in the body. As well as the full development and growth of the child.
The benefits of fragrant apples for children consist of several factors:
- Significantly increases immunity.
- Stabilizes blood sugar levels.
- Rarely become an allergen.
- They help overcome constipation and improve bowel movements.
- Strengthen the immune system and help fight viruses and bacteria.
- They increase hemoglobin in the blood and become an excellent remedy against anemia.
Applesauce should not be used as a first food for children. It is recommended to introduce it into the diet only after vegetables, since most children simply do not want to eat vegetable dishes.
When the baby gets used to the taste of carrots and zucchini. You can try the applesauce a little at a time. Apple is digested very quickly and is a safe product. But it’s worth introducing it into your regular diet only half a teaspoon, like other products.
Calculate the amount of puree as follows: the number of months equal to the child’s age, multiplied by 10. If your baby is now 9 months old, then he can be given 90 grams of applesauce per day.
Positive Impact
- These fruits contain a large amount of antioxidants, which help strengthen the immune system of infants; they contain all the necessary vitamins for the normal growth of the baby;
- The substances that make up apples have a positive effect on the liver and kidneys of babies;
- Apples cleanse human blood, normalize blood sugar, increasing appetite.
Despite the fact that the benefits of apples have undoubtedly been proven, they should not be given to babies first.
It has been established that after eating fruit, children refuse to eat vegetable purees. While the baby gets used to the taste of vegetables, you can introduce apple mixture into the diet. A very small baby should be given 0.5 tsp. before starting feeding.
Homemade or store-bought product?
Many modern mothers do not like to prepare applesauce for their babies exclusively on their own. And this is quite understandable - there is no point in wasting free time and energy when you can simply buy puree in the store, which is immediately given to the child.
But it is not always possible to easily purchase a truly high-quality product. There are manufacturers who prepare starch-based purees to make a dish previously prepared in water much thicker. To keep the taste close to natural, simply add citric acid and too much sugar to processed apples.
Such data is not always noted on the label. Starch is very difficult to digest, especially for children. But sugar can provoke an acute allergic reaction in a small child. How to make good puree? It is quite realistic and easy, and does not take much time.
Applesauce without sugar
- Cooking time: 45-60 minutes.
- Number of servings: for 4 0.5 l cans.
- Calorie content of the dish: 67 kcal
- Purpose: fruit dessert, preparations for the winter.
- Cuisine: Russian.
- Difficulty of preparation: easy.
If you are trying to minimize your carbohydrate intake, the question of how to make sugar-free applesauce will be relevant to you. Apple pulp preparations, even without sugar, are a rewarding product. It is made quickly, tastes good, stores well, and does not require sterilization. It looks very beautiful both on the table and in the photo. All you need to do is prepare the fruits, cook them and turn them into a homogeneous mass.
- There is no need to peel the fruits, just remove the seeds. Boil the apples cut into slices until tender. You can use a double boiler or a thick-bottomed pan.
- Turn the boiled fruit pulp into a homogeneous mass using a blender, food processor, or rubbing through a mesh colander.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, cook for 5 minutes.
- Place the mixture into sterile jars and seal the lids tightly.
One-ingredient puree
This recipe is the most popular among young mothers. To make delicious applesauce, you need to peel the fruit, cut it into small pieces and place it in a saucepan. Add a little water there - a few spoons is enough.
Place the container on the fire and start steaming. When the fruit pieces become completely soft, turn off the heat, cool the mixture and beat everything with a blender. You can also use a regular sieve for these purposes.
The benefits and properties of apples are preserved after all these procedures. It is recommended to serve the applesauce immediately after preparation, but the product can be stored in the refrigerator. You can easily use baked or boiled apples for complementary feeding, but the latter contain virtually no useful substances that the child’s body needs. Everything just stays in the water.
You can also make healthy apple puree with the addition of pears. Just pay attention that pears are not allowed to be given to a child who suffers from constipation. In case of problems with the stomach and intestines, it is recommended to prepare applesauce with the addition of apricots or plums. Adding an additional ingredient can only be done after your child has finally gotten used to the main ingredient.
How to prepare applesauce for the winter at home for babies - recipe with photos step by step
Prepare the necessary ingredients. Of course, it is better to take sweet apples.
Peel and cut the apples. If they darken quickly, you can sprinkle them with lemon juice to make the puree lighter in color.
Place the chopped fruits in a thick-walled saucepan, add water and place on low heat. Cook until completely soft, about 30 minutes.
While the apples are boiling, sterilize the jars in any convenient way (in a pan of boiling water, in the oven or microwave).
Blend the apples with a blender until smooth. Stirring, cook the puree for another three to four minutes over low heat.
Fill sterilized jars up to the shoulders with hot puree, cover with sterile lids (do not roll up yet).
Place the jars in a saucepan, on the bottom of which you can put a small towel to prevent the jars from knocking in the future. Pour water into a saucepan up to the shoulders of the cans and put it on the fire. Sterilize jars of puree for 15-20 minutes.
After sterilization, carefully, without opening the lids, remove the jars from the pan and roll them up. Turn over, wrap and leave until cool.
Here is an excellent recipe for applesauce for the winter at home for children, which you will certainly repeat more than once. You can store the product prepared using it at room temperature, in a dry, dark place, away from heat sources (battery, kitchen).
Preparations for the cold season
Of course, it’s easy to prepare complementary foods in the summer. But preparing them for the winter is a more difficult task, but quite solvable. Mothers often buy a ready-made dish in winter. And here everything is clear: buying an apple in winter is risky - it may not be of high quality, and it no longer contains those beneficial substances that a child’s body needs so much. And fruits and vegetables in winter are not grown naturally, but with the addition of certain growth stimulants. You should not allow such substances to enter the baby’s body.
You can easily prepare complementary foods during the summer so that your baby has a tasty and natural treat. It is during the warm period of the year that it is possible to use exclusively high-quality fruits for puree, which are purchased from a reliable seller or grown in a summer cottage.
How to make good apple puree for the winter? In this case, the dish is prepared by analogy with recipes for daily complementary feeding. The fruits are peeled and placed in a small saucepan. Only after heat treatment are the apples cut and the future puree is sent back to the fire. It is poured into the prepared container while still hot. Wash and sterilize jars and lids well in advance. If you follow all the preservation rules, the product will be stored for a long time and will delight your baby in winter.
Homemade aromatic puree can easily be added to various cereals and other dishes that the child likes.
Combination
Apple mass for infants can be combined with almost all fruits and vegetables. The most popular combinations:
- Apple with pear. The fruits should be boiled, then mixed in a blender. For an older baby, you can prepare a mixture with the addition of cinnamon or cranberries;
- Apple and banana. Grind the fruits in a blender. It is possible to add breast milk to the mixture;
- Apple with pumpkin. You need to take 1 pumpkin slice and 1 apple. Place these products in a slow cooker and steam. Mash the prepared vegetables, add butter and milk. This mass can be given to a child in the absence of allergies;
- Apple with carrots. Take 1 carrot and 1 apple. Boil the fruits in a saucepan and grind them in a blender.
Babies do not eat their usual food, so try to pamper your child with different mixtures.
