How to Make Fat Balls for Garden Birds
- 1). Measure out 1 cup of beef suet or lard. Beef suet can be purchased at the grocery store in the meat department, but if you prefer to use lard, it can be found in the dairy section near the butter. Melt the fat slowly, over low to medium heat, as it can burn easily.
- 2). Measure out 1 cup of peanut butter and stir it in with the melted fat. This will allow the peanut butter to soften, too. Stir the two together just enough to soften the peanut butter. The two ingredients will actually blend together when you form the balls.
- 3). Allow the melted fat/peanut butter mixture to cool until it starts to thicken up again. At this point it will be of a soft consistency that you can mold. Transfer to a large glass bowl, and add 1 cup of corn meal, 1 cup of wild bird seed and 1 cup of oatmeal.
- 4). Put on the plastic gloves, and mix the ingredients together with your hands. At this point you can also add 1 cup of raisins that have been soaked in water, if you wish. You will know the raisins are ready when they have plumped up.
- 5). Form the mixture into balls. You can form 2 large balls or several small balls, whichever you prefer. If you will be hanging the suet balls, insert a piece of jute twine down the center of the ball and form the ball tightly around it. Tie a large knot at the bottom end, with a loop for hanging, in the twine at the top end.
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