Suet cake mix
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Three suet recipes of melted fat or nut butter with seeds, oats and cornmeal, set in molds for winter birds.
Ingredients
- Recipe 1: 2 parts melted fat (beef fat or lard); 2 parts yellow cornmeal; 1 part natural, unsalted peanut butter
- Recipe 2: 1 pound melted fat (beef fat or lard); 1 cup millet; 1 cup sunflower seeds; 1 cup raisins
- Recipe 3: 1 cup lard (no substitutions); 1 cup natural, unsalted crunchy peanut butter; 2 cups quick-cooking oats; 2 cups cornmeal; 1 cup all-purpose flour
Equipment
- saucepan
- mixing bowl
Directions
- Melt the lard, fat or nut butter in a saucepan until completely liquid, then take it off the heat and let it sit for several minutes.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients and cook for a few minutes.
- Pour into small containers (tuna cans work) and refrigerate until firm.
- Pop into a suet feeder, or cut into cakes, wrap in plastic, and freeze.
- You can also pack it into 1-inch holes drilled in small logs and hang them from trees.
Notes
Fasten containers securely to trees or feeders. Replace cakes that become discolored or dark-edged.
Safety: homemade suet is a cold-weather food and can go rancid above 70°F; it is not recommended in warm climates (use no-melt dough instead). Wait until at least December where bears are around. Use natural, unsalted peanut butter with no added sugar or xylitol. Raisins (Recipe 2) are fine for birds but toxic to dogs, so hang where dogs can’t reach dropped bits.