Food they’llactuallyeat

MangoCoconut CreamPuree

RECIPE COURTESY OF CLAIREHOYT, BIGDIPPERBABYFOOD

Yes, all of us are familiar with the Gerber jars that line the supermarket aisles. Everyone loves a classic, but check out the Bay Area’s own Big Dipper, whose purees which are lovingly prepared from organic ingredients are far from the pulverized peas of the past. The recipe here has a base of mango and coconut cream, with a bevy of optional additions — mint or curry powder, anyone? so your little one can explore unique flavors before even learning to walk. Remember to introduce the component ingredients one by one to your baby’s diet first to make sure there are no sensitivities or allergies before serving the finished product.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups organic mango (frozen or fresh)

2-4 tablespoons organic coconut cream to taste (You can buy coconut cream, or use the hard cream at the top of a can of coconut milk.)

Optional

Fresh organic mint leaves

Tamarind paste

Curry powder

Organic spinach

Optional: Double your batch, and freeze whatever you won’t use in the next 2-3 days Ice cube trays allow for the perfect portion size.

Seeking serenity

If you’re in the East Bay and want to get away from it all but don’t want to travel too far, look no further than Blake Garden in Kensington. The garden is home to many plants and critters and is used for projects by UC Berkeley students, most of them in the landscape architecture and environmental planning programs. Best of all, it is the perfect destination for an outing where you and the baby can get in touch with nature together while soaking in the natural splendor

Blake Garden is at 70 Rincon Road. For details, go to http:// blakegarden.ced.berkeley.edu.