Take bird watching and feeding to the next level by making bird suet blocks out of natural ingredients. Feeding the birds becomes more exciting when you make the bird suet blocks and know they're being drawn to something you created. Once you make a couple of batches you can experiment by adding varying ingredients to see which bird suet blocks they like best and which tend to attract the most birds. You can enjoy a variety of species eating from suet feeders, according to a West Virginia University Extension publication, but blue jays and woodpeckers are the most common birds attracted to suet. One thought to consider---birds are part of nature so try to use natural ingredients that do not contain additives or preservatives.
- 2 pounds Crisco
- 3 cups crunchy peanut butter
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup chopped apples (with peeling)
- 1 cup blue berries
- 1 cup black berries
- 9 cups all-purpose wheat flour
- 9 cups cornmeal
- 3 cups bird seed
- Large pot
- 2 rectangle baking pans
- Wax paper
- Spatula
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Instructions
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1
Line baking pans with wax paper.
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2
Place the pot over medium to medium-low heat and add Crisco. Stir occasionally as Crisco melts.
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3
Add butter and peanut butter to melted Crisco. Turn off heat and continue to stir until butter has melted and peanut butter is blended in with Crisco and butter.
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4
Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
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5
Pour approximately half of the mixture into the one pan lined with wax paper and repeat with the remaining mixture in the second pan.
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6
Using a spatula press, the suet into each pan, packing firmly and evenly.
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7
Allow suet to cool and then place in the refrigerator overnight so it can set up.
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8
Remove the suet from the refrigerator and cut into squares that will fit inside your suet feeder.
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9
Store suet blocks in a sealed container in the freezer or refrigerator until ready to use.
