A sixth generation farmer, Zachariah Ben has been working the land his entire life. He and his wife Mary wanted to venture out on their own. Due to red tape on the Navajo Nation where they reside in New Mexico, they could only obtain farmland through a reallocation system or by having a family member allow them to grow on an agricultural land use permit. Ben's grandmother offered her land as long as they promised to give food back to the community.
Zachariah Ben prepares food while wearing his new baby in a sling. Photo courtesy of Bidii Baby Foods.
When the couple learned they were pregnant, they had just started their farming season. As providers and farmers of the land, they wanted to give their son the best solid foods. They decided to make their own baby food using Navajo dried, steamed corn. Working with non-GMO, heritage-style methods, the white corn is steamed underground overnight in a pit that burns pinon, juniper, pine, oak, and cottonwood. Ben refers to the process as a primitive, modern-day pressure cooker. The cooked corn is taken to a commercial kitchen to be milled and dehydrated. Many families in the Navajo community don't have access to running water or electricity so Bidii Baby Foods products have a long shelf life.
Among families living on the Navajo Nation, 25% don't have access to electricity, so Zachariah Ben makes dehydrated, shelf stable baby food. Photo courtesy of Bidii Baby Foods.