I've been making "suet" cakes for the birds for almost four years. The recipe consists of quick oats, cornmeal, flour and sugar combined with melted lard and peanut butter. The birds love it (as do the squirrels, of course.) The cakes attract woodpeckers, chickadees, jays, titmice, wrens, black birds, and I've even heard of cardinals and thrashers eating it. It's particular good to have around in the winter as a good source of fat to help the birds through cold periods and when other natural food sources aren't readily available.
I put "suet" in quotations because obviously there is no suet in the recipe. True suet cakes would be made with rendered beef suet (fat), but how many of you know of a grocery store that has beef suet in the meat case? It probably wouldn't be a big seller. So lard has become the standard substitute. I hear that even lard is hard to find in some areas of the country. [When did real pie crusts lose favor to those found in the freezer section?]
But my grocery store fortunately does carry lard. At least they always have. I went in to pick up a package tonight and it was no where to be found. I talked to the butcher in the meat department (where I always find it) and he said they changed suppliers and the new company doesn't carry it.
I'm thinking, this isn't good, what to do now, when I thought of beef suet. So I asked him if they had any in the back. He says that as they trim the meat, they toss it in the garbage, but he would go back and check. Sure enough, he had about 3/4 of a pound which would be enough for me.
This is when I had to shake my head and laugh. He brings it out to me in a package with a price tag on it ..... $0.69 a pound or $0.49 total. His logic was that it was half the price of what I would have paid for the lard, so he was giving me a deal for the inconvenience. And I'm thinking, "you're charging me for your garbage?" Does that make any sense? But I graciously accepted it and thanked him.
So I made REAL suet cakes for the first time and it was so easy to render the fat. If they look to be a hit with the birds, I will go back to the grocery store and negotiate a reasonable price to pay for the butcher's garbage.
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2 comments:
I recently made my first "suet" cakes w/the same ingredients you listed but received mixed results. The birds definitely don't go crazy over it like they do w/the store bought cakes. I have yet to find a store that gives away (or sells!) their real suet so lard is my only option. Okay by me, not sure I can stomach the real stuff...baby steps!
Chris, I swear by the homemade suet cakes with lard. The birds love them. I also have to make a batch for my Mom's birds every time I go home to visit. The "real suet" cakes haven't been much of a hit yet, but now that the temps are falling, there seems to be more interest. I'm guessing the extra work involved won't be worth the effort. As soon as I can find a reliable source of lard, I'm going back to the original recipe. Unless I can find the suet for free. I still can't believe I was charged for discards!!!!
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