suet cake recipes Archives - Mother 2 Mother Blog

Attracting the Pileated Woodpecker

March 1, 2021 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

Today, I’m sharing tips backyard birding tips on Attracting the Pileated Woodpecker. The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest member of the woodpecker family. It’s beautiful red crest comes from the Latin word Pileatus, which means capped.

The Pileated Woodpeckers are huge birds, and absolutely beautiful. Because they birds are so large, having large, standing trees is a must if you want to attract them to your backyard. If you don’t have large trees on your property, having woods nearby or on an adjoining property will do. Pileated Woodpeckers love to munch on ants, beetles, wild fruits and nuts. They are known to pull bark off trees to feast on ants. Furthermore, they need large trees to bore large holes for nests. The female pileated woodpeckers selects her mate based on the best nest sight for her babies. If it’s not a large tree with nice big holes, he can forget it.

Although, the Pileated Woodpecker loves insects and wild fruit, they also love suet. Yep, suet is the key to attracting the Pileated Woodpecker to your backyard. I’ve used both commercial and homemade suet cakes in my attempt to lure this big guy. He will visit the feeder when it contains the commercial suet, but I see him 4 – 5 times a day when I offer my homemade suet. These pictures are of my big boy eating my homemade suet cake. The female hasn’t visited so far. You can tell the difference between the male and female by the stripes on their cheeks. The male has a red stripe and the female black.

Attracting the Pileated Woodpecker:

Here’s a few of my homemade suet recipes:

Crunchy Apple Raisin Suet Cake Recipe

Carrot Raisin Suet Cake Recipe

Offering suet during the winter months is a great way to give our feathered friends energy and warmth. It will help them survive the cold winter months.

Also, if your goal is attracting the pileated woodpecker to your backyard, you will need a pileated woodpecker suet cage. If one is unavailable another large long tail suet cage will work. A long tail prop is needed so the woodpecker’s tail feathers can rest while they’re hanging on the cage.

Whip up a batch of my homemade suet cakes, and you will have this beautiful creature devouring them in not time. Stay tuned for additional posts on homemade suet cake recipes.

Beef Stew Lard Suet Cakes

January 23, 2021 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

Homemade lard suet cakes is the topic of the day. My backyard birds devour my DIY lard suet cakes within days. So, rather than continually spend money on commercial suet cakes, I started making my own. Whether there are fights over the food in your home or in your backyard, you know the food is good. So, I suggest that you start making homemade suet cakes for your backyard birds. Especially, if you want to keep them coming back to your feeders.

Furthermore, Suet cakes are a great source of heat and energy for birds in the winter. And, you can get creative and create your own recipes. I have created tons of recipes for my backyard birds, and it was fun making them. Especially, with my grandkids. Beef stew is the flavor of the day. Lets get started.

Beef Stew Lard Suet Cakes:

1 cup chopped boiled potatoes (Be sure to remove the skin).
1 cup grated raw carrots (Raw carrots are good for the birds eyes).
2 cups of black oil sunflower seeds
1 cup of oats (I forgot to include them in the picture below).
1 cup beef lard (I used the fat from my ground beef)
1/2 cup regular lard if needed
containers to mold your mixture (container should be at least 5 x 5 so it will fit into a suet cage)

Note: This recipe makes 2 suet cakes.

Step 1 – Melt 1 cup of lard in a pot, and than allow it to harden.
Step 2 – Melt melt the lard a second time and allow it to harden again. You can add more lard here if you don’t think you have enough for your mixture.
Step 3 – Melt the lard again.
Next, mix your birdseed, oats, potatoes, and carrots thoroughly while the lard is melting. Once the ingredients are mixed well, pour the melted lard over the mixture. Stir the mixture so it is covered well with the lard. (You can save a little lard to pour over the mixture once it is packed in the containers).
Pack the mixture into your containers. ( I spray my containers with Olive Oil before I add the mixture to ensure an easy removal).
Pour the last of the melted lard over the mixture in the packed containers.
Freeze or place your containers in your refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
Last, remove the suet cakes from your containers and store in a freezer bag in the freezer or refrigerator until you need them. (I mark my bags with the type of suet cake that I’m storing. For example, Beef Stew).

Note: I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase, I may receive a small fee; however, there will be no additional cost to you.

Some of the birds that visit my suet cake feeders are:

Woodpeckers
Mockingbirds
Northern Flickers
Carolina Wrens
Tufted Titmouse
European Starlings
Downy Woodpeckers
Hairy Woodpeckers
Pileated Woodpeckers
Black-capped Chickadees
House Finches
Sparrows

Finally, check out my carrot raisin suet cake recipe before you leave. It’s another favorite of my backyard birds. You may also like Understanding Suet.

Filed Under: Suet Cake Recipes Tagged With: attracting backyard birds, backyard bird feeders, feeding backyard birds, lard suet cakes, suet cake recipes

Suet Cake Recipe for Crunchy Apple Raisin Suet

January 10, 2021 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

My Crunchy apple raisin suet cake recipe is the topic today. Today, My backyard birds devour suet cakes, so I started making my own. There are lots of fights at the feeders over this peanut butter suet cake recipe. So, if you are a backyard bird watcher and want to keep birds at your feeders, make this crunchy treat for your feather friends.

Furthermore, Suet cakes are a great source of heat and energy for birds. Especially, during the winter months when insects and berries are scarce. I have purchased commercial suet cakes, but the birds seem to prefer my homemade suet cakes. If I have both a DIY suet cake and a commercial suet cake out at the same time, the birds prefer mine. So, I have created tons of recipes for them. Crunchy apple raisin is the flavor of the day.

Crunchy Apple Raisin Suet Cakes:

1 cup chopped raisins
1 cup chopped dried apples
2 cups of quality bird seed ( I use Royal Wing Birdwatchers Banquet from Tractor Supply)
1 cup of oats
1 cup lard
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
containers to mold your mixture (container should be at least 5 x 5 so it will fit into a suet cage)

Melt 1 cup of lard in a pot, and than allow it to harden.
Melt melt the lard a second time and allow it to harden again. You can add more lard here if you don’t think you have enough for your mixture.
Melt the lard again, and add the cup of crunchy peanut butter.
Next, mix your dry ingredients thoroughly, and than add your melted lard and peanut butter to your dry ingredients. Stir the mixture well.
Pack the mixture into your containers. ( I spray my containers with Olive Oil to ensure an easy removal.
Freeze or place your container in your refrigerator for several hours.
Last, remove the suet cakes from your containers and store in a freezer bag in the freezer or refrigerator until you need them. (I mark my bags with the type of suet cake that I’m storing. For example, Crunchy Apple Raisin).

Some of the birds that visit my suet feeders are:

Woodpeckers
Mockingbirds
Northern Flickers
Carolina Wrens
Tufted Titmouse
European Starlings
Downy Woodpeckers
Hairy Woodpeckers
Pileated Woodpeckers
Black-capped Chickadees

Finally, check out my carrot raisin suet cake recipe before you leave. It’s another favorite of my backyard birds. You may also like All About Bird Foods.