Along with your birdfeeders, Suet is an important winter food for birds. It provides the fat and energy they need to survive the cold weather. Suet can be purchased raw from a butcher.
To render suet, finely chop it and heat in a large pan over medium heat until it liquefies. Strain through fine cheesecloth into a bowl and let cool until it hardens. Heat and strain suet one more time to ensure that it will cake properly when mixed with birdseed.
Mix together 5 pounds mixed wild birdseed, 2 pounds rendered suet, 1 pound dried cranberries and 1 pound raw peanuts (shelled). Firmly pack mixture into plastic containers, placing a loop of twine down the center of each container, for hanging. Freeze until hard (minimum of 2 hours to overnight). Unmold and hang each using twine loops.
Tags: bird feeder, Bird feeders, suet cakes, wild bird feeder