Have you introduced bone marrow to your baby yet?
Bone marrow might seem like an odd first food to feed baby, however it is a forgotten nutrition powerhouse!
Bone marrow is found on the inside of bones and contains stem cells that develop into red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets, which are involved in oxygen transportation, immune function and blood clotting.
Marrow is a fantastic source of nutrient dense fats, protein, collagen and a wonderful source of iron and zinc and vitamin B12. It’s also not a high choking risk food so can be a great introductory ‘meat’ for your baby!
What bones to ask for:
When buying bone marrow bones, request pieces cut from the middle of the leg bone, as these typically have more marrow compared to bone.
You can also ask your butcher to cut the bones lengthwise or crosswise:
- Lengthwise cuts make it easy to scoop out the marrow without needing special tools.
- Crosswise cuts cook more quickly and are great for recipes like soups and stews.
Choose the freshest bones available. They should be free from excess meat, with marrow that’s firm and white-pink in colour. Avoid bones with a strong or unpleasant odour.
What to use it for:
You can roast the marrow and essentially add it to anything! Toss vegetables through it or use it as a ‘dip’ with the finger foods as a ‘boat’, add it to an omelette, into a puree etc! Then when done, you can use those bones to make a broth – no waste!
This recipe is from our Milk to Meals book of adding bone marrow to a parsnip and bean puree, and theres also a delicious marrow butter recipe and beef and marrow stew in there too!
We also have a few other recipe ideas using marrow here:
Mushroom and Marrow Soup
Storage Instructions:
- Store roasted marrow in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- For longer storage, freeze marrow in ice cube trays for easy portioning.
Age Suitable:
When you start solids
Roasted Bone Marrow
Ingredients
- 2 bone marrow bones see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F)
- Place the bones on a baking sheet, marrow side up, and cook for 20-25 minutes or until much of the fat has rendered out and marrow is pulling away from the sides
- Remove from the oven, allow the bones to coolslightly to touch Then scrape out the marrow with a spoon or fork The marrow should be soft and mashable.
- You can then discard the bones, or I use them for a bone broth!
Notes
You can ask the butcher to split the bones for you, ask for a ‘long cut’ and cuts from ‘the centre of the bone’ to get the most marrow out of the bone. Choose organic, pasture raised if possible HOW TO USE:
You can add the mashed bone marrow directly to your baby’s puree meal and mix through.
You can add the marrow to a glass bowl (and the fat from the baking tray) and refigerate, and then use this like you would use butter – as a spread or served on some steamed or baked vegetables. Once your baby has been introduced to butter, you could try the bone marrow butter recipe in our book Milk to Meals which is my personal favourite!
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