Posted by Suzanne McMinn on February 17, 2008 @ 5:05 am
In the Barnyard, Wild Birds
Feed the birds! They need us, and we need them more than we think about when we are rushing around. There is no rushing around when we are watching birds. There is just quiet, breathing, listening, focusing. Life stands still for a minute and we can remember that it’s so beautiful. And there is something just especially satisfying about giving the birds something made with our own hands. Plus it’s easy, frugal, and it makes great gifts for bird-watching enthusiasts! Think how amazed they will be when you give them homemade suet for their birds. Wrap sliced suet in plastic and stick a bow on top. Place it in a bag with pretty tissue paper and a gift tag. Now you are a creative genius!
How to Make Your Own Wild Bird Suet:
16 ounces lard
1 cup peanut butter
crumbled leftover bread
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped apple
1 cup other fruit (raisins, berries, etc)
Melt lard and peanut butter in a large pan on the stove over low heat. Turn off the heat and add flour, cornmeal, and sugar.
Wow, that peanut butter looks good. I have to stop and get some crackers and eat it. Why has it been so long since I’ve had crackers with peanut butter???
Oh, yeah, back to the birds…
Chop whatever fruit you have available. Crumble leftover bread. How much crumbled bread you’ll need will vary depending on what kind of bread you use. Here, I used about 10 small rolls and half a dozen pieces of sandwich bread.
Add diced fruit and crumbled bread to the pan. You can also add whatever you have on hand, like seeds or nuts. I used crunchy peanut butter, by the way-for the nuts. Is this easy or what? Add more crumbled bread if necessary. You want to get the mixture to the point where the bread is absorbing all the liquid and you have a thicky, gooey pile of birdie goodness.
Scoop the homemade wild bird suet into a large loaf pan. If you have any leftover, put it in an additional bowl and use it first. Refrigerate overnight or stick it in the freezer for a couple of hours if you’re impatient.
Don’t be surprised when you take it out if your family tries to eat it. It looks so good. Man, those are gonna be some lucky birds!
Cut a slice as needed to place in your suet feeder while keeping the remaining suet refrigerated. The birds will love you! 
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Posted by Suzanne McMinn on February 17, 2008 @ 5:05 am
7:35
am
we put up a suet feeder just this week. The raccoons got it by the second night and it is history…
9:59
am
Oh, wait…is that Mary Poppins in the background?? “Feed the birds…” Great suet recipe! We’ll have to see if we can do this project this week…I think you’re getting more bang from your buck than “tuppence a bag” on this one.
10:26
am
How cool! My Mom was just talking about wanting me to stop at the feed store and pick up some more suet for her. Maybe I’ll just make some — and keep some for myself, too!
Hey, I made the Grandmother Bread — awesome! ALthough I think I cooked it too soon. I put it in when it had risen double like you said, but it’s kind of dense. It was rising so fast, I think I could have let it rise some more! But it was really good and it made AWESOME french toast this morning!
10:30
am
My neighbors have a bird feeder, and a brick house. Very important thing to have when some of the birds you feed are wood peckers. We have a cedar house. I wish there were some way to just feed the little song birds I see hopping around. The last time I put up a suet feeder, it had three big woodpeckers on it fighting for the seed. When I took it down, they kept flying past the spot looking for it as if it might magically materialize if they kept ‘buzzing’ the area.
12:52
pm
We have 3 seed feeders and one suet feeder. All of them certainly get a work-out.
I’m going to try that suet recipe - it looks better than anything I can buy. Will it keep in warmer temps. (40 - 55 degrees) or do you think it’ll turn rancid and hurt my bird friends?
I’ve only taken one pic of our birds so far. I’ll have to take more. LOVE your picture of the cardinal - I have yet to successfully take a decent picture of one. (sigh)
Here’s the only pic I’ve done so far - scroll down a bit and you’ll see my mob of finches. Hungry little buggers!
http://thetombstonechronicler.blogspot.com/2008/01/uh-oh.html
12:53
pm
What a cute idea. I have never heard of a suet before. My kids would love to do this. Thanks for the idea.
1:04
pm
Ann, I guess it depends on how long it takes your birds to go through a slice of suet? If you think it’s going to take them a week to go through a slice, maybe just put out half a slice at a time?
1:13
pm
You are SO handy!!!
1:15
pm
Our problem this year is we’ve never gotten consistently cold this year. 20 degrees for several days, 55 degrees for several days. If it were our normal winter…
I’m going to give the recipe a go anyway - it is only February!
thanks again!
abb
1:44
pm
I haven’t seen or heard any cardinals so far this winter and now I know why: They caught wind of your suet and have taken off for southern climes!
It’s a great idea, but I’m sticking with the bird seed in my feeder. That’s even easier, given that I hate any kind of food preparation.
-Kim
2:18
pm
I would do this but I might attract even more bears to my house if I do!
3:32
pm
Thanks for the suet recipe. I feed a lot of birds, but not many of them eat suet.
3:47
pm
This looks almost good enough for human food. Almost because I’m not real fond of lard - in the mouth or on the butt.
4:01
pm
Thanks so much for the suet recipe! I’d heard you could make your own but didn’t know how.
4:15
pm
I’d do this, but we have raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels, neighbours’ cats and groundhogs (but they don’t climb, do they?). Somehow I don’t think that suet would last in our in backyard.
7:54
pm
If it wasn’t for the lard, I would definitely try some!! I have a feeder and the squirrels used to get it but I finally found a place they can’t get to. Plus it has to be out in the open so my ferals/strays don’t get to them.
8:55
pm
In my part of the country (Southern California), we put out hummingbird feeders. Just a little sugar water brings up right up to my back patio
1:48
pm
The pictures did look appetizing.
I live in such a warm climate, that even though we do get some cold weather, we get too many warm days in winter to use suet. It gets melty.
5:55
pm
I make my own too, but it is pretty different from this. Thanks you gave me some ideas of things to add!
8:42
pm
I need this recipe! My downy woodpecker and Red Bedllied woodpecker will love this as well as my white breasted nuthatch! the darn starlings will eat it all though
6:16
pm
I tried the recipe and used it at the same time as a store bought one. First of all they have abandoned the store bought one and the woodpeckers have decided to fight World War 3 for access rights to the new treat. Hopefuly things will settle down soon but the store bought product is history. By the way, the plastic tray that came with the store bought poduct makes a great mould. … Thank you