Those of you who follow my blog realize how I adore hosting wild birds in my central Virginia gardens. With frequent coaching from a local naturalist and a bluebird guru, I confidently care for wild feathered visitors year round.
This handsome Red Bellied Woodpecker dines regularly at the Yankee Seed Saver feeder. It really enjoys the LaSauce Buffet Recipe.
Being a long-time foodie, I could not resist reinventing a wild bird banquet recipe found in The Bluebird Monitor’s Guide.
I confess, I am suspicious of any food that is genetically modified (GMO) and seek organic foods for both me and my food clients, so why not for the birds???
Also an avid label reader, I find most bird foods do not list country of origin, date of production, nor GMO ingredients. Therefore, I avoid all commercially produced mixes.
Suet (the hard fat surrounding the kidneys and loins of beef and mutton) is another concern, as I strongly suspect that its source comes from beef feedlots in the midwest US. Again, I do not condone industrial meat production. When I inspect suet block labels, nada, no information there. When asked, retailers do not know origins either. Call me a fanatic, yet until there is definitive, credible proof that GMO grains and feedlot suet are safe, I will avoid them like the plague.
nestling bluebirds day nine ~ Swallowtail Cottage. Would you feed them GMO food?
LaSauce Recipe for Winter Wild Bird Buffet ~ Swallowtail Cottage
In a medium saucepan set over low heat, melt:
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1 cup freshly ground, unsalted peanut butter (I grind this fresh at my local market where they guarantee NO-GMO)
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1 cup TJ’s non-GMO sunflower oil.
When just melted remove from heat and add:
- 4 cups stone ground cornmeal (I use a local Indian corn heirloom variety)
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1 cup raw rolled oats, ground to a fine powder in a food processor
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2 cup raw, hulled sunflower seeds, roughly chopped in food processor
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2 cup chopped currants
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1 cup raw, unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped in processor
- 1/2 cup organic egg shells, finely ground in a spice or coffee grinder (save shells from hard-cooked eggs, never raw shells.) Extra ground shells keep well in a glass jar in the freezer indefinitely. (I dry the peeled shells overnight on the kitchen counter at room temperature before grinding.)
- Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold all ingredients together. Allow to cool before serving your feathered friends.This recipe yields a gracious plenty.
- For this gourmet food, I serve it up in a Yankee hanging feeder where even the Red Bellied Woodpeckers feast.
- Store unused portions in the refrigerator in a sealed tub.
- Furthermore, I source all ingredients from my local health-conscious store’s bulk department—where prices are competitive AND I know offerings are non-GMO, and often organic.
- After a few days, I often add additional chopped currants or sunflower seeds to the mix, depending what the birds consider most popular that batch.
- NOTE: this is a winter food recipe for wild birds, as the oil will melt during summer months, and the birds can forage for live insects, which is their preferred food.
Why chop/grind ingredients, you may ask? Considering birds have only one tool (mandible) to process edibles, and a few toes, so I decided to make their dining experience in my gardens a wee bit less labor intensive.
Wild birds expend tremendous energy simply surviving single-digit temperatures and deep snow during winter months. One simple human step added to the bird banquet becomes a precious energy-saving step for the birds. Furthermore, serving large, whole seed with husks leads to overall food waste, as many wild birds fly in, grab a morsel, and fly off to a twig where they pound/peck seeds into manageable sizes, often losing bits of goodness during the process. Make sense?
Other favorite bird foods:
The attached recipe is gobbled up by at least eleven overwintering species of wild birds in my central Virginia gardens. Additionally, I put millet out in a separate saucer (in the bottom of a vintage parrot cage where wild birds fly in and out) for those birds who enjoy that seed.
Mealworms are another treat for many birds, yet NEVER feed those freeze-dried worms! They too are from CHINA, and we have no idea what standards apply there. I order insects year-round from a reliable US company at http://www.grubco.com. Live mealworms are essential food/protein for bluebird nestlings and they are simple and fun to care for.
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add a small water heater to your bird bath during frozen winter days
NOTE: Please keep a source of fresh water available year round during daylight hours. This is critical during winter months when creeks and streams are frozen solid. Thirsty birds could easily drink from a salt-laden or antifreeze puddle that would cause an agonizing death. I place a small water heater (designed for this purpose) in the bird bath on days when temps do not rise above freezing.
Virginia bluebirds dine at LaSauce buffet
So there you are fellow bird lovers…consider this winter recipe for your feathered friends. And if you want a refresher course on clean food, view the documentaries,
Food Inc. and King Korn. My case rests…
Disclaimer: thoughts published here and throughout this blog are mine and in no way do I benefit from businesses/publications mentioned within.
Want my spring buffet recipe?
LaSauce Spring/Warm Weather Wild Bird Buffet Recipe is a combo of shelled sunflower seeds, dry currants, ground eggshells, and sunflower oil—plain and simple.
All ingredients are purchased in bulk at my local health food-minded market.
Simply whirl two cups of seeds and one-half cup of berries in a food processor until slightly chopped, about three seconds (remember this saves the birds labor and morsel loss).
Add ground organic/cooked egg shells (2 T), then toss with a tablespoon of sunflower oil to moisten. The oil helps the egg-shell powder stick to the seed, yet will not choke the birds. Portions are approximate and easy to make. Birds are not picky! If I notice one ingredient being consumed faster, I add more of that next batch.
a photo of the warm weather mix. Wild birds flock to the feeders for this nutritious food. Happy feeding!
Happy birding!
Any questions? Just post them to the comments link located in the top right of this page.
Copyright © 2014 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved
