Birdseed treats are a great gift for the birds. When it’s cold outside, the birds have to work harder to find enough food to make it through the winter. Finding a bit of fat is like getting a gift, as it helps keep them warm!
Why not help your feathered friends out? Make them some birdseed treats, and hang them from a tree branch. The best part of this is that it is a fun project you can do with your kids!
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Winter Bird Seed Treats
1/2 cup lard, melted
1 cup bird seed or hen scratch
1/4 cup finely chopped Craisins, Raisins, or dried fruit
1/4 cup finely chopped peanuts (unsalted) (and/or pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts of your choice)
1 straw, cut into 3” pieces
3 – 5 Cookie Cutters (these are perfect for the garden!)
1 12” (or longer, as needed) piece of ribbon or twine
Place cookie cutter on waxed paper. In a pot, melt the lard. Pour the lard into a large bowl, and blend in the remaining ingredients.
Pour (or pack) mixture into the cookie cutter. Push the straw into the top (to make a hole for the twine). Put in the freezer until hardened. Remove the straw.
Thread a piece of twine through the hole and tie at the top. Hang from a tree branch where the birds are likely to gather.
Notes:
1) If your ‘dry’ goods get too much, melt a bit more lard. You want this mixture to be thick with ingredients – the lard just holds it all together.
2) This is a good way to use plastic cookie cutters, or those that have rusted or broken, as they will not be reusable in the kitchen!
