"Onion in the first month, leek in February, amaranth in March, lotus in April, melon in June, bamboo shoots in July, taro in August, nine kale, ten celery, eleven garlic and twelve white. Follow the lunar month, read the jingle, and you can remember the vegetables that were abundant in that month.
Amaranth leaves are small and tender, and common white amaranth and red amaranth can be bought all year round in Taiwan Province Province, and the rich period is1February to April of the following year. Amaranth is rich in calcium and iron, especially red amaranth is rich in vitamin C, which is the top three star vegetables with iron content. Vitamin C can promote the absorption of iron and is an ideal blood-enriching food. Because the fiber in the stem is thick, it is recommended to give priority to the tender leaves for cooking when preparing for the baby. You can peel off the stem first and leave the tender stem inside, which can be used as the baby's "hand food" after scalding.
Sweet pepper is mainly produced in 10 to May. It is green when it is immature, and becomes red, yellow, orange and other colors when it is mature. If the weather turns from cold to hot at harvest time, it will be half green and half yellow. The concave part of sweet pepper head is easy to receive pesticides, so it should be cleaned first, then the whole concave part including the pedicle head should be removed to avoid pesticide residue, and finally the seeds should be removed. Mature sweet pepper is rich in vitamin C, juicy and tender. If it is grown organically, it is clean, which is very suitable for raw food and tastes like fruit. However, babies under one year old are advised to eat cooked food. Although some vitamin C will be lost, it can avoid eating eggs by mistake or being infected by bacteria.
Carambola is called "carambola" in English because of its pentagonal shape. Carambola can not only be eaten as fruit, but also be used as a deodorizing ingredient for boiled fish and stewed chicken with its unique flavor. When processing, the acid part at the tip of the fruit edge can be cut off first, and then cut into star-shaped pieces. The shape can particularly attract children's attention, and it is nutritionally rich in vitamin C and glucose. However, it must be noted that carambola is also rich in potassium. For babies with weak kidney and stomach, or family members with kidney disease and uremia, eat in moderation to avoid overeating.