When the cold sets in, chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers need high-energy food, and rendered beef fat is exactly what suet cakes are made of. Homemade cakes cost less than store blocks and you control what goes in. This recipe fits standard suet cages.
Ingredients (4 cakes for a standard suet cage)
- 250 ml (1 cup) beef tallow
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) natural unsalted peanut butter, no sugar added
- 250 ml (1 cup) rolled oats
- 250 ml (1 cup) wild bird seed mix
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) cornmeal
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) unsalted shelled sunflower seeds
Method
- Melt the tallow and peanut butter together over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the oats, seed mix, cornmeal and sunflower seeds until everything is coated.
- Press the mixture firmly into square containers about 12 cm (4 1/2 inches) wide, or a lined loaf pan to cut later, about 3 cm (1 inch) thick.
- Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Unmould and place in a suet cage. Wrap extras and freeze.
Notes
- Use only plain rendered fat. Never use bacon grease or drippings with salt or seasoning, and skip bread, salted nuts and sugary treats.
- Suet cakes are best below about 10 °C (50 °F). In warm weather fat softens and can mat feathers, so take the feeder down in summer.
- Hang the cage near cover, such as a shrub, and clean it every few weeks.
More uses for tallow: beef tallow fries, pemmican and beef tallow in Canada.
From Rise Nutrition
Try it for 30 days.
Beef tallow from grass-fed Canadian cattle. Ships from Canada · Free shipping over $45 · 30-day money-back.
★★★★★ 4.8 from 52 reviews
