Homemade Suet

The birds around here are hungry critters in the winter months.  I had no idea until I started feeding them with my DIY bird feeder from a few blogs back.  I loved seeing all the smaller birds.  Chickadees, brown creepers, nuthatches and tufted titmice, with a few cardinals.  But I was missing the larger birds.  I love blue jays, and hadn't seen many of them at all.  I recalled that I put up a pre-made seed bell a few months ago, and our large pileated woodpeckers loved it.  In fact, LOTS of birds enjoyed the seed bell.
So my husband and I found ourselves at White's Mill, our local seed & feed store.  We picked up a big bag of bird seed, some shelled sunflower seeds, and a suet cake.  I was told by the clerks which one would draw the woodpeckers.
I don't have a cage for suet, so I hung the little square cake in a plastic mesh bag that used to hold oranges.  For days, weeks, the cake was ignored.  Then one morning I noticed that it was gone.  Some clever squirrel had made off with it, no doubt.
Finally, I decided I was just going to make my own suet for the birds.  So I did a little online research, and came away with some good information.  The resulting suet was a hit, I guess.  Because I put it out before dark on Saturday.  On Sunday morning around 9am, when I looked at it next, it was GONE.  Not a morsel left!  So I decided that it would be my craft for the week.  Why not?  Does it really classify as a craft?  I think so.  My husband told me that my snow cream was not a craft, and I disagree.  I used materials on hand to make something that had a purpose.  Just because its purpose was to be tasty didn't make it any less of a craft in my mind!  True, one could argue that it isn't.  I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.  Along the same lines, perhaps homemade suet is not a craft in some peoples' minds.  Maybe I just need to change the title of my page to "52 Weeks of Arts, Crafts & Other Random Stuff" to cover all my bases.
So how did I make the suet?  It was so incredibly easy.  Here's what I used:

*Large mixing bowl
*Lard
*Chunky peanut butter
*Bird seed
*Large spoon 
*Yarn (or cord, or string, whatever is handy)

Breakfast of champions, if you happen to be a chickadee.

I did not use a published recipe for this, although I browsed several.  I didn’t measure anything.  I just threw it together.  If I had to guess, I’d say I used about 3/4 cup of lard, and a half cup of chunky peanut butter.  I didn’t melt anything.  The first time I made this, I melted the peanut butter.  I don’t think it made a difference.  When I made it this time, I didn’t heat anything at all.

I spooned the lard into the mixing bowl first & mashed it up a bit.  Then I added the peanut butter, mixing it until it was well-blended.  It just looked like a lighter shade of peanut butter, really.  

Lard & peanut butter.  Yummy.

Then I started mixing in the bird seed.  I didn’t add it all at once.  I put some in, mixed it in well, then added some more, mixed it in, etc.  At this point mine was about the size of a large orange.  I continued adding seed until it looked like a solid ball of waxy seed.  The mixture was firm enough that I could shape it into a ball using the spoon.  Lard smells nasty and it takes some work to get off of your hands, so I suggest a pair of gloves if you have to handle it at this stage.  

Suet ball before adding the seed coating.

Next, leaving the seed ball in the mixing bowl, I added seed as a top layer, using my hands and the spoon to stick seed firmly onto the ball.  I turned it, coated it, turned it, etc., until the ball was completely covered in seeds.  Then I put it in the freezer.

I don’t have a real estimate on how long to freeze the suet.  I just imagine it helps to keep it from going sploot on the ground.  I left it in overnight.

I cut about three feet of yarn, although I don’t think I used nearly that much, and proceeded to wrap it around the suet ball, criss-crossing and tying it several times to secure it.  Using the rest of the yarn, I made a loop and hung it outside.

This suet ball has lasted much longer than the first one.  I believe this is due, at least in part, to the fact that I tied it fairly securely, and I froze it for a much longer time.  I only left it in the freezer for a few hours the first time, making it more susceptible to going sploot.  The first attempt with yarn was a little flimsy too.  I strung the yarn through the middle of the suet ball, which didn’t seem as sturdy.  Or, I could just say that the suet isn’t as good this time.  But it’s virtually the same, so I don’t think that’s the case.  I’m not going to try it to find out.  I have seen nuthatches and chickadees enjoying it, at least.  Next time I may add dried cranberries and more nuts.

Yay!  Happy birds!