|
They still
love it, but unfortunately with the economy as
it is today, we had to rethink
buying it in the quantities we wanted for the
birds who call our yard "home". It was either a case of stop
offering a food the birds love or develop a less
expensive alternative we could make at home. It
just made sense to try to stretch our resources
of time and money.
We want to make it very clear. We are not in any
way saying this spreadable and moldable
suet-like creation is the same or comparable to
any of the commercial products on the market,
but it has allowed us to continue to offer what
we feel is a safe, nutritious, and relatively
inexpensive treat for our bird visitors.
Please note: We have researched our choices of
ingredients and refined our homemade suet from
our own experimentation and the published
findings of others. The birds and critters in
our backyard seem to be very satisfied and
healthy. We call all its variations Suet $ents
(obviously playing on the words less cents and
more sense). Hope you might like to try the
recipe. The woodpeckers especially have given it
two zygodactyl feet up.
|
Recipe for Homemade Suet
$ents:
|
| Dry Ingredients: |
|
Cost |
|
| 1 Cup quick
cooking oatmeal |
|
$ .38 |
|
| 1 Cup cracked
corn |
|
.09 |
|
| 1 Cup whole
wheat flour |
|
.66 |
|
| 2 Cups chick
starter |
|
.42 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Oily
Ingredients: |
|
|
|
| 1 1/4 Cups
peanut butter |
|
.89 |
|
| 1 Cup vegetable
shortening |
|
.92 |
|
| 1/2 Cup lard |
|
.55 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
$ 3.91 |
|
- Stir all dry ingredients together in a
large bowl.
- Optional: Could add raisins, nuts, dried
fruits or seeds at this point.
- Set dry mix aside.
- Place oily ingredients in microwaveable
bowl, preferably with a pouring spout.
- Microwave on high for about 3 minutes.
Check at the half way point and stir.
Mixture should be a liquid.
- Pour the two mixtures together and stir
well.
- Divide the warm suet into containers
with lids or into greased molds. Can allow
to harden at room temperature as it cools,
or speed the process by refrigeration.
- If the Suet $ents won't be used up in a
week or so, keep in refrigerator. I have not
yet tested the results of storing in the
freezer.
- This is the amount of suet mix I make at
a time, so as not to have it dry out, as
some professional products have done if
stored too long.
|
| This recipe makes around
46 oz of Suet $ents. This particular batch was
divided into: |
| Item |
Volume Size by oz. |
Cost |
| CD Suet |
30 |
$ 2.55 |
| Suet Cake |
8 |
.68 |
| Suet Skinny |
2 |
.17 |
| Suet Crumble
Spread |
6 |
.51 |
| Totals |
46 |
$ 3.91 |
|
|
Step by Step Illustrated
Guide For Making Suet $ents:
|
|
Use
1 cup quick cooking oatmeal.
If old fashioned oats are used, it's best to
process them into smaller pieces. Don't use
individual microwave packages, if the goal is to
save money. |
|
|
1
cup cracked corn.
This is corn used to feed chickens. Tractor
Supply stores sell this in bulk very cheaply. Cracked corn can also easily be processed into a
finer texture and used that way. The containers
are recycled large peanut butter tubs.
As a side note: In our yard we offer cracked
corn and inexpensive seed in a large feeder set
at a distance from our song bird feeders. The
larger blackbirds will congregate in this area
first and leave the little guys some time with
the more expensive food in the smaller, more
expensive feeders. Win - Win! |
|
|
|
|
1
Cup whole wheat flour.
White flour could be used, but there is more
nutrition in the whole wheat variety.
Be sure and keep all the dry ingredients in a
container with a tight lid. No one, birds or
animals, need the added flavor of bugs and
pantry moths. |
|
|
| |
2
Cups chick starter
This contains nutrition for birds of all ages.
However, wild birds should not eat the starter
mix that contains medication. Tractor Supply and
other feed stores sell bags of chick starter.
For a finer suet spread, these little
gravel-like pieces can be processed. |
|
|
|
Dry
stuff stirred together for a good mix.
Could add raisins, dried fruit, and chopped nuts
and seeds.
Set mix aside. |
|
|
|
| |
In
large, microwavable bowl put 1 1/4 Cups of
peanut butter. If a finer texture is the goal,
use the creamy type. Chunky peanut butter or a
combination with the creamy can be also be used.
Buy an inexpensive brand in a large quantity.
They all smell and taste like peanuts to the
birds and critters.
Add 1 Cup vegetable shortening. Use a rubber
cake spatula to remove sticky stuff from the
measuring cups. |
|
|
|
|
1/2
Cup of lard.
So far I have bought this in 1lb. slabs (it
should be available in larger containers in
places like Wal-Mart). This is similar to a
solid 1 lb block of butter.
I cut the lard in half lengthwise and then cut
each piece in half again to get what is the
equivalent of a stick of butter or oleo. This is
the easy way to measure the 1/2 cup needed. It
isn't necessary to stir together until melted. |
|
|
|
Microwave
on high for about 3 minutes. Check at half way
and stir. Mixture should a liquid. |
|
|
|
Pour
this liquid into the dry mix and stir well.
This rather unattractive looking stuff can now
be placed in any variety of containers. The
birds and critters are happy to devour this
homemade suet and have yet to complain about the
presentation of this free meal. |
|
|
|
The Containers and Their Bird Feeders:
|
|
The liquid suet can be
poured into any container. Here is an
illustrated sampling of molds and storage
solutions, along with appropriate serving
feeders, that I commonly use when I make a batch
of Suet $ents for my little buddies. |
| |
Recycled
purchased suet cake package: Wash out old suet
remnants and pour homemade Suet $ents into the
form to the level of the original cake. This
hardens at room temperature, but if hungry birds
are tapping at your window, the solidifying process can be shortened by brief
refrigeration. Slip the cake into a clean suet
cage, one of the inexpensive ones or the fancy
double or quadruple suet houses with roofs. Hang
the feeder and step back. |
|
|
|
| |
Fill
another two recycled suet cake packages about
1/4 inch high each. These become thin slices to
put in a sandwich press. We call this slice a
Suet Skinny. The feeder has thin side openings
that are used primarily by woodpeckers and
nuthatches (long beaks and tongues can reach far
inside as the suet empties from the edges). |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A CD case seemed the
ideal shape for a small suet cylinder that can easily be placed on the rod of the dinner
bell feeder (pictured below). This bird feeder
has some of the best attributes for serving our
homemade suet - a sheltering hood, which is
adjustable on its pole to keep out larger birds,
and a bowl-like tray that can catch and hold
crumbly pieces of suet. This great feeder will
also hold any seed or nut mix, and even meal
worms.
|
|
The
container we used for the mold held 50 CD's. Any
oil can be used on the inside surface of the
upside down "lid" and the bottom piece with the
pole (cooking spray is fastest and least messy). |
|
|
|
Fill
the lid and insert the pole into the mix and
screw on the lid. Refrigerate for
several hours at the minimum with 24 being
preferable. The longer it cools and
hardens the easier it will be to remove
the suet cylinder from the mold in the
next step. |
|
|
Meanwhile,
we drilled a hole in a 25 CD lid. When the mix
was solid, we carefully removed the bottom with
the pole and ran a knife around the edge to
loosen the CD Suet. We placed this on the upside
down 25 CD holder (lining up the holes) as if on
a platform. |
|
|
|
|
| Dinner Bell
Feeder |
Tufted Titmouse |
|
|
|
|
| The dinner bell was
reassembled by passing its pole through the hole
of the suet and its platform and on into the
tray of the feeder. Carefully tighten, adjust
the height of the hood and hang on a convenient
hook to enjoy watching the dinner guests. |
|
| |
Hairy Woodpecker
and
Rose-breasted Grosbeak |
|
|
|
|
Sometimes in the
interest of saving time, I simply make the mix
and pour it into storage containers with lids. When needed, scoop the goop, aka Suet $ents
(crumble spread) into a bowl-like tray and hang
or mount. If there is any suet mix that wasn't
used in a special mold that would be meant for a
specific feeder, this will also be sealed and
later scooped into a small tray or spread onto
tree bark. The birds will quickly find and
often fight over the suet.
|
|
| Carolina Wren |
Dark-eyed Junco |
|
|
|
|
| We have made several log
feeders by drilling 2 holes through a fallen
branch. The branch is then spun 90 degrees and
2 more holes are drilled either above or below
each of the other holes. Put a hook in the top
of the branch and hang. The suet mix can be
pushed into the holes. The birds like clinging
on a natural log and finding this easy to eat
the treat. Leave small stubs and branches for
perch-like support. |
|
