Baby Food: Pear Juice & Pearsauce

Making baby food is cheaper than buying premade.

Price below are found using Google & Google Shopping:
Gerber Pear Juice 4oz @ Walgreens $1.19
Gerber Pear Juice 4-4oz Pack @ Walgreens $4.59
Gerber Pear Juice 32oz @ Fort Myers Grocery Delivery Service $3.29

Gerber Pears 2nd Foods 2-3.5 oz pack @ Walgreens $1.79
Gerber Pears 1st Foods 1-2.5 oz pack @ Walgreens $1.59

I bought 3 pears of each Barlett, D'Anjou, and Red pears for about $3.50 total. From this I made 40oz pearsauce and 41oz Pear Juice. There's no sugar added and I only added "Fresh Fruit" to keep the food from turning color while exposed to air.

How I make my Pear Baby Foods:

Pear Juice & Pear Sauce at the same time: (FREEZER METHOD of storing)

1. Peel, Seed, & Core all pears.
2. Slice into approx. 1/2 - 1 inch cubes. {*Tip* If the 'meat' of the fruit is soft it doesn't need to be cut into smaller pieces. If the 'meat' if firm it needs smaller pieces}
3. Place in to sauce pan/stock pot fill to just above the pear's level.
4. Add in "Fresh Fruit" or other natural perservative to keep fruit fresh tasting and from discoloring. Lemon juice works well or Citric Acid aka Vitamin C.
5. Bring to a boil SLOWLY!
6. Boil on the lowest possible setting, until the all the 'meat' is tender.
7. Use a cone stainer over a large bowl to strain the meat from the juice. As the strainer fills up, place the meat into a food processor or blender.
8. Continue to seperate the juice and meat until all has been seperated.
9. To get clearer juice with less pulp filter a second time with a coffee filter in the strainer
10. Let juice cool.
11. Now that the juice is cooling and all the 'meat' is in the blend/food processor. Simply hit puree or turn on your machine. I let mine run for about 30-60 seconds because my baby is at the 1st foods stage.
12. Once it is to the consistancy that you like turn off the machine and let it cool.
13. Prepare for freezer...
• Use either clean ice cube trays and freeze into small cubes to store in freezer bags or freezer jars.
• OR place into freezer jars (Like Kerr & Ball Blue Label) and freeze in large quanities for defrosting for a weeks' use.
14. To freeze the juice:
• Once cooled. Place in quart size freezer bags to about 1 -2 inches from the top. Place on a cookie sheet then place in freezer to set firm.
• OR OR place into freezer jars (Like Kerr & Ball Blue Label) 8 or 12 oz and freeze.

I use 12 oz freezer jars for juice and 8 oz freezer jars for baby food. I also keep the minor pulp in the juice instead of straining it with a coffee filter. Malachi is on a sippy cup already so it doesn't clog up as easy as a bottle. I use the Gerber Nuk stage 1 sippy/transition cups.  He has not been on a bottle since he was less than a month old. He has been strictly nursed until recently.