Well, if they could, the birds just might let us know what they love to find in the winter feeders and what is best for them. But, since that’s not quite possible just yet, here are some ideas from good birding sources.
Peanut Butter Suet (recipe from betterhensandgardens.com)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 2 cups “quick cook” oatmeal
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 1 1/2 cups lard
- 1 cup white flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
Instructions:
- Melt the peanut butter and lard together in a pan over low heat, then mix in the remaining ingredients (while still on low heat).
- Press the mixture into a square or rectangular cake pan so that the mix is about 1 inch thick (or the thickness of your suet feeder.
- Freeze for an hour, and then cut into squares that will fit your feeder.
Bird Feed Wreath (from audubon.com)
Materials:
• Bundt Pan
• Large pot
• Wide Ribbon
• 3 Block of rendered suet (available at various garden centers and home improvement stores)
• ½ cup of peanut butter
• 9 cups of bird seed
• Dried fruits and berries
Instructions:
1. Over low heat, melt your three blocks of suet in the large pot. Stir consistently and make sure it does not boil.
2. Once your suet is melted, add the peanut butter and let the combined suet fully melt. Remove from heat.
3. Combine the liquid suet with the bird seed.
4. Spray the bundt pan with cooking spray and fill the bottom with berries and fruit.
5. Fill the bundt pan with the liquid suet.
6. Let sit in a cool place (like your refrigerator) overnight to harden. Once hardened, remove the mold from the pan.
7. Tie a ribbon around to hang and either decorate as a gift or hang outside for birds to enjoy!
Note: Do not put suet out in hot weather, as it can turn rancid. Keeping it a holiday tradition can help you remember to only hang this wreath in cool weather.
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