Homemade Suet and Winter birds

Last week my hubby and I made homemade suet - his idea. He wanted to reuse the hamburger and bacon grease instead of throwing it out. I'm so proud!

Our recipe - which was really more like me throwing stuff into a pot.

First I melted the left-over fat (we keep it in a progresso soup can)
Then I added 1/2 pound of lard to try and spread out the amount of salt.
While the fat and lard were melting I added 2 giant scoops of peanut butter.
Melt completely but don't boil.

Then the fun came: I added
- dried mealworms
- niger thistle
- raisins
- 2 flavors of craisins
- and mixed seed containing: black oil and regular sunflowers, peanuts, and millet
add enough to make it almost a solid

Then we added a TON of whole wheat flour until it was the consistency of dough.

Put it in 9x9 recycled aluminum tins and put in freezer. We pulled one out that afternoon after it had frozen and put some out for our feathered friends to try - just in time for the cold weather to hit.

So far the chickadees and white-breasted nuthatches seem to love it.

I haven't been fast enough to take pictures of the chickadees enjoying the suet but I do have some pictures of them feasting on the dried mealworms I put out. I took an old wire hanger apart and made a holder for a tiny glad tupperware. Its not pretty but it makes a perfect mealworm feeder.

Also right before Christmas we had a flock of Cedar Waxwings take over our yard. They were here for just a few minutes and I haven't seen them since.