Homemade Bird Suet Cakes...

http://www.alaskapublic.org/2012/10/29/homemade-bird-suet-cakes/

New post up at alaskapublic.org... check it out!

Reader Ideas...

We are coming up fast on the holiday season. Its a time of such heavy commercialism and debt mentality that I always get really frustrated with society as a whole. I'll be writing a post or two on bucking the consumer holiday culture, and I want to know...

Do you try to avoid the commercialism of the holidays? Do you have any traditions that don't involve spending money? Do you participate in "Black Friday" or max out the credit cards at Christmas time? What's the relationship between money and the holidays in your home?

Homemade Bird Suet Cakes

For those of us who love to watch the wild birds in our yards, it is once again time to start putting out bird feeders and filling suet cages. With stories in the news lately of bird feed companies intentionally adding anti-spoilage chemicals to the seed they sell while knowing that the chemicals were harmful to the very birds the seed was marketed for, I think now is a great time to share my Homemade Bird Suet Cake recipe!

HOMEMADE SUET CAKES

1 pound of beef tallow or lard (preferably organic & pastured)

1 cup natural* peanut butter (optional)
2 cups black oil sunflower seeds or other bird seed mixture of your choice
1 cups organic whole grain flour
1 cup dried fruit (chopped)

Melt the tallow and peanut butter (if using) on medium heat in a large saucepan.

Add whole grain flour to the melted tallow mixture, whisking until well blended.

Remove from heat.

Add the seeds and chopped dried fruit, stirring until well coated.

Spread the mixture evenly into a large cake pan or baking dish, lined with wax paper.**

Chill until solid, but not frozen.

Cut mixture into 6 squares, wrapping and freezing individually to store.

*Be sure to use natural peanut butter, as the more typical versions have a lot of sugar and added preservatives

**The seeds will float to the top, but if you stir the mixture a second time, before it is completely solid, it will help to mix it more evenly

These little beauties fit perfectly into the typical baskets designed for store-bought suet cakes, and they make great Christmas gifts! It makes me feel better knowing that the food I am providing isn't full of ingredients that the birds don't need, and the birds love them!

Mmmmm Dinner...

On the menu tonight...

Vegetable Beef Soup & Fresh Baked Dinner Rolls

All from scratch, all organic, all delicious!!!

We eat good around here...

Just a reminder...

Hey folks... if you haven't joined us on Facebook yet, please click the icon on the right of this page... you are missing out on lots of good stuff that doesn't happen here!