I made up a batch of Birdie Feeder Treats the other day. It's very easy and fun to do w/the kids!
Treat Mixture:
2 - 3 c bread crumbs, old crackers, old bread, old Cheerios, etc... (I used old freezer burned buns & bread that I forgot were in the freezer)
1 cup birdseed
3 uncored apples - chopped
1 c raisins
1/2 dry fruit - chopped
1 c crisco or lard
1 c sugar
1 - 2 c peanut butter (use more or less depending on amt of dry bread/crackers/cereal used)
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/3 c cornmeal
Very easy to do -- it doesn't have to be accurate, add more or less of what you may want or need too -- use up some things you may already have on hand.
Heat / microwave on low the lard & p-butter until soft for stirring, then fold / stir in dry ingredients. Mix until you have a crumbly sticky dough (sorta' like choc chip cookie dough). Can freeze any remaining mix for later date.
Feeders:
10 - 12 pine cones / several produce netting bags / 10 - 12 orange or grapefruit rind cups (fruit cut in 1/2 w/pulp removed)
string or yarn
To prepare your feeders: wrap 24in piece of string/yarn around the base of the pine cone (bottom petals) and/or 3 strings of equal length threaded thru and knotted in 1/3 sections of the citrus ring cups for hanging. Then carefully press treat mix in between and into pine cones, or fill citrus cups. Or fill the produce plastic net bags and then tie-off the bag's end closed w/12in string and knot (the string ends) for hanging. Hang from tree branches or near your bird feeder location.
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