These are so easy to make, just take a minute really, and the birds love them.
Mix roughly half peanut butter, half corn meal although make it stiff enough to be able to roll into balls. You can also mix in raisins, peanuts, seeds. I save the plastic mesh that onions and garlic comes in and put them in those, tie the top with a ribbon or twist ties. Tie them to the branches of trees. You can make a bunch and freeze the extras too.
With this extreme cold, our little feathered buddies will really appreciate them this Christmas.
A quick and easy Christmas present for the birds
I used some marbles for rooting narcissus, and just threw out the litle mesh bags. -after contemplating "I know I could use these somehow" Wouldhave been perfect. But yes thanks for the recipe idea. I try to have something , suet or other, out all winter.
I'll bet you could use cheesecloth, Sally. Or just imbed a pipecleaner or string in the balls.
actually, to be honest, I usually let the birds have commercial made suet cakes, and figure I'm giving somebody else a job and using some of the meat processing waste. Not decorative I admit.
The birds here prefer these by far to the suet cakes, especially the woodpeckers. I have a pair of piliated woodpeckers that nest close by and I've even seen them munching on them. They've never shown up for the suet cakes.
They're not particularly decorative, though. LOL Just rolled up balls in plastic mesh.
Pileated--Cool!
Hey at least it looks like you tried! Like the difference between a TV dinner and a homemade grilled cheese.And if I don't want to be serving grilled cheese tomorrow, I have GOT to get off here and plan...!!!
Thanks Hart, Sounds like a great project for when GS comes.
It's a perfect project for kids. It really does just take a minute to mix it up and roll it into balls. You don't even need to measure.
Ric and JR did some suet cakes last month but you needed to heat the lard so they were working with hot grease and I didn't like that. Funny I think I'm more careful as a grandparent than I was as a mother. Well all my kids survived my motherly neglect so I guess I did alright. LOL
OMG....another fun "to do w/Chloe"....I'm so excited...I think I have some of those bags too!!!
Just in case you missed this, Dave added a birdfile feature on Christmas for us to enjoy. http://davesgarden.com/guides/birdfiles/
So much to do and see at DG no wonder I don't get anything done around the house. ha ha
Thanks Lady, I do spend a lot of time here. LOL