Making Suet Cakes for the Birds

By: Jodi Henke

Help out your feathered friends this winter by making homemade suet cakes for them. It provides a high-energy source of fat and protein during increased energy needs in colder weather. Pure suet is the fatty tissue around a cow’s kidneys. You could also use pork lard, lamb fat, or even Crisco.

Dave Shiley is an Extension educator at the University of Illinois. He says if you choose lard or Crisco, it’s ready to go. If you use beef suet, the fat has to be rendered, or melted down first.