Wild Bird's Surprise
1 C bacon grease, lard or shortening
1 C peanut butter (crunchy works good)
2 C cornmeal, dried bread or crackers (crumbs)
Warm water
2 to 3 C. wild birdseed
Raisins, chopped peanuts or nuts
Melt the bacon grease and peanut butter slowly over low heat. Add cornmeal and/or bread and cracker crumbs. Slowly add enough warm water to make a stiff dough, then add the rest of the ingredients. Spread on a large flat pan and pat down. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into squares that will fit your feeder or into pieces that you can tie to tree branches.
Seed & Fruit Treat
4 C suet* or solid fat
1 C cracker or bread crumbs
¼ C millet or other bird seed
½ C sunflower seeds
¼ C dried fruit- raisins, currants or dates
¼ C peanuts or peanut butter
Melt the suet or fat in large saucepan until melted. Remove from heat and allow it to cool until slightly thickened. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl, pour the cooled suet over the mixture. Mix well. While the mixture is still warm spread onto a shallow baking pan and refrigerate overnight. When the suet is hard, cut into pieces that fit your feeder. Also works great packing into pine cones and then hanging in trees in your backyard.
Peanut Butter/Sunflower Blend
1 C shortening or lard
1 C crunchy peanut butter
3 C cornmeal
1 C flour
1 ½ - 2 C combination of sunflower seeds, cracked corn and wild bird seed.
Melt the shortening and peanut butter in a saucepan until melted. Remove from heat. Once it is slightly thickened, combine with the other ingredients that have been set aside in a separate bowl. Mix thoroughly. You are now ready to mold into shapes you want or spread onto a cookie sheet. Refrigerate over night. Cut into desired sizes.
This recipe can easily be doubled and then frozen. Wrap cut pieces individually in plastic wrap and then put in a freezer bag.
* Suet is beef fat and can be purchased from the butcher or purchased at bird supply stores.
Hummingbird Nectar
¼ C of sugar
1 C of water
Boil or microwave for 3 minutes. Cool. The boiling will help keep from fermenting. Change once a week. You can double/triple the recipe and refrigerate until needed. Will keep for 2 weeks refrigerated.
Oriole Nectar
1 C of sugar
6 C of water
Boil the sugar water mixture for 10 minutes. Refrigerate remaining nectar up to two weeks.
