wintertime would be extra dreary if it were n’t for the flashes of colouring material at my manybackyard razzing feeder . I ’ve managed to attractdowny woodpecker , nutcracker , northern flickersand many others . At first , I spent a small fortune on commercially available suet cakes . Ranging from $ 1.50 to as much as $ 6 a piece , these typically control a admixture of nuts , seeds and yield suspended in brick of processed animal fat . In winter , they provide insect - eat up raspberry with much - want fat and protein .
It did n’t take long for the birds to find — and devour!—my store - bought suet . I hold up through several loge of the individually wrap goodies calendar month after month . Aside from the expense , I was n’t crazy about all of the promotional material that came with them either . That ’s when I looked into recipes for homemade suet cakes . turn out , it ’s surprisingly easy . Best of all , by include specific ingredients , it ’s possible to attract specific types of birds .
Finding Fat
The first of a two - part series , we ’ll take up with finding and render adipose tissue . Prized by cooks makingold - fashioned puddingsand dough , “ suet ” in reality refers to a specialized avoirdupois which surrounds the kidneys of certain character of livestock . Fortunately , you need not be quite so picky when seeking productive sources to include as the base for your own “ suet ” cakes .
If you regularly make venison or beef smasher , for example , you already have accession to respectable sources of fat for feeding unfounded birds . Rather than discard this fat , cut it into small cubes and freeze these until you have a few pounds put in up . Alternatively , you’re able to take your local fumbler to salvage bitch fatness for you . While some butchers will give this away , others may charge a nominal fee . If possible , require them to run it through their meat grinder . For your first batch , start with three to five pounds of squawk fat . It probably will include bits of meat and other detritus which will need to be separated from the fatty tissue .
Rendering 101
Here ’s a quick primer on rendering avoirdupois for homemade suet cake ( or any purpose , really ) .
Next Steps
you’re able to unite this harden , rendered gripe blubber with crunchy peanut butter , cornmeal , dry yield , and even dried mealworm and crickets to create your own custom suet cakes . As for the shapes you ’d like your homemade suet cakes to take , if you desire simple rectangle that ’ll fit in stock telegram suet feeders , a 9×12 patty genus Pan will serve . ( You ’ll pour the suet mixture in , let it cool down , and then curve into section . ) Of course , if you ’ve saved the plastic pans in which commercially useable suet cakes are sometimes packaged , these make tremendous mould , too .
Want something fancy ? Muffin tins or gelatin molds also work well . To hang these kind of cakes , you ’ll punch a hole through them while they ’re still slightly soft and then total string loops . likewise , you could run string around the top of an assailable pinecone and , while the suet bar mixture is still quick , moisten it at bottom and out for a pretty , natural and tasty bird kickshaw .
Next week , I ’ll include a few different formula and teaching to stop the job .
