Cool Weather Cornmeal Crunch Suet Cakes For The Birds Recipes

BIRD SUET CAKES

Steps:

• Melt lard and peanut butter, in microwave oven about 3 minutes, stirring each minute; then add in all other ingredients and mix together.
• Scrape into flat pan (9-13), cool in refrigerator until hard.
• Cut to desired size and wrap in plastic wrap or foil.
• Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Place in small mesh bag (old produce bags work) and hang where birds can reach.
• Watch that other critters cannot get to it.

BIRD SEED CORNBREAD CAKES/SUET

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl - mix all ingredients well. I use Jiffy Cornbread mix, which is $.49/bx where I live - I don't use the egg or milk, like the box directions read...for the birds. Just add a little water, until the batter is moist. The crisco is used if you don't have any beef fats you might have saved, and melted it for this.
• 2. I cook this in a 8" iron fry pan, but you can in the oven in a cake pan if you want. I just don't put the oven on for this, if I don't have to. Cook on the stove with lid, very low heat, for about 25 minutes, or until done - like you would a cake.
• 3. Let the pan cool completely. Put it in the garage or frig to get cold fast to handle. If you can lift the cake out whole, great..but using Crisco, it doesn't set hard, like an actual suet cake.
• 4. Press firm in suet molds, if you saved one or two, or any mold to fit in suet cages outside. I also cut the bottom of a soda ltr bottle to use as a mold (see photo).
• 5. Put in freezer or refrig to get more solid, then put outside for the birds. This receipe should make about 3-4 suet-sized cakes.
• 6. Any left-overs, crumble in the tray feeder.

COOL WEATHER CORNMEAL CRUNCH SUET CAKES FOR THE BIRDS

Steps:

• Combine lard and peanut butter in a large saucepan and cook over low heat until melted.
• Add cornmeal and mix well.
• Pour into suet molds or a bread pan.
• Chill until mixture is firm.
• If using bread pan, slice into the thickness that will fit your suet feeder.

NO-MELT SUET (FOR BIRDS)

Steps:

• Melt the lard and peanut butter together, either on the stove or in the microwave.
• Combine all of the dry ingredients.
• Add the dry ingredients to the melted fats.
• The original recipe suggests pouring into a square pan about 2 inches deep, or spreading onto tree limbs. I just put it into ziplock containers and scoop it out as needed to fill a screen type of feeder (See photos). I use my cookie scoop to take it out, but then mash and break up the scoops, because otherwise the squirrels can come and take a whole scoop at once, way too easily! I don't know if it would hold up well in cake form, as I haven't tried that, but it defintely doesn't melt or make a gloppy mess.