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Re: Suet? (a substitute)



But I have also heard that the beef suet gives the birds the protein and
warming energy they are after, which the vegetable shortening doesn't have.
I have used vegetable shortening and it does melt out of the flour mixture
in hot weather.  I've also tried shelf lard, not in the can, but the hard
kind, and it worked better, but still not as well as real suet, which sure
does smell bad, as you said.

Had the first hooded merganser on our creek today.  Also a junco and a
goldfinch on Friday.  I would prefer flocks of them rather than just one of
each.  Still no yellow rumps.

Bruce Krucke
Yonges Island, SC

----- Original Message -----
From: Shahid
To: Patrick Coin ; carolinabirds@duke.edu
Sent: Monday, November 11, 2002 9:21 PM
Subject: Re: Suet? (a substitute)


You can also add bird seed to this and use whole wheat flour if you have it.
I've also rendered beef suet (cooked it until liquid and strain)then add
this instead of the
shortening.  Your way is much easier and less smelly.
Ann Shahid
Charleston, SC

----- Original Message -----
From: "Patrick Coin" <patrick@coinconsult.net>
To: <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
Sent: Monday, November 11, 2002 7:20 PM
Subject: Re: Suet? (a substitute)


> I long ago gave up suet for John Terres' miracle meal:
>
> Knead together:
> 1 cup Peanut Butter (cheap stuff is fine, IMHO, but I've heard some
> claim salt-free should be used)
> 1 cup vegetable shortening
>
> Sift together:
> 4 cups cornmeal (NOT self-rising)
> 1 cup white flour  (NOT self-rising)
>
> Knead together the butter mix and the flour mix. You should get a
> nice dough, not too sticky. I form it into hamburger patty-sized
> pieces and refrigerate or freeze it, layers of patties separated by
> waxed paper. Put it in a suet feeder. All suet-loving birds love it,
> especially woodpeckers. Chickadees, titmouses, nuthatches,
> Yellow-rumped and Pine Warblers, etc also feed on it avidly. I
> usually feed in the winter, but Terres says that it does not spoil
> quickly even in the summer in Chapel Hill, where he lived for many
> years.
>
> The recipe is from Terres's classic book, Songbirds in Your Garden.
>
> Again, I've used it in my backyard here in Durham for several years.
> I've seen the same individual birds coming to it for months at a time
> and they seem to remain healthy. Terres used it for years as
> well--you can read about his experience with it in his book.
>
> I'll never fuss with suet again--"miracle meal" is so easy.
> --
>
> Patrick Coin
> Durham, NC
> patrick@coinconsult.net