Make Your Own Suet

Watching the birds from my kitchen window is one of my favorite activities. It is a wonderful way to enjoy nature without enduring the harsh winter weather. It is a relaxing and fun activity while I go about the everyday cooking and cleaning tasks.

It can also be educational. Last year we kept a notebook, a field guide, and the camera near the window. The kids and I kept track of the birds we saw. You can see some of the pictures here.

You don't need fancy feeders or fancy food to attract the birds. In fact, you probably have most of what you need right in your kitchen.

Bird Suet
2lbs lard (do not substitute shortening!)
6 cups cornmeal
3 cups wheat flour
4 cups oatmeal

Soften the lard to room temperature. Stir in the other ingredients a couple of cups at a time until the mixture is quite thick. Freeze in tuna cans or small plastic tubs. Loosen from the tubs, and hang in a re-purposed mesh bag like what onions or apples come in.

This recipe was part of one of our school lessons last year from Further Up and Further In. I don't usually follow it exactly. Instead of using lard, I save grease from bacon or other meats. You can also add in peanut butter, nuts, or berries. You can mix the fat with commercial bird seed. Do make sure though that the mixture is very thick, or it makes a greasy mess. Lesson learned the hard way.

I love watching the birds from the window. It is a relaxing way to enjoy nature in the winter, and it is educational. Perhaps my time would be better spent on a treadmill, but I think I'll just stick to watching the birds.

For more great winter time activities see the Winter Bazaar at Scribbit, and for helpful tips about just about everything Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer.