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 (not cornmeal mix)
1/4 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. (Or freeze in easy slices to take out as needed.) The birds will love you!
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P.S. See more wild bird suet recipes by clicking here.


















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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!
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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
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I’m going to give the recipe a go anyway – it is only February!
thanks again!
abb
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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
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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. :fan:
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