Garden Faerie: Make your own suet cakes for birds

I've tweaked this recipe over several years, both for flavor and texture. (No, I have not tried it myself, but it is approved by woodpeckers, nuthatches, cardinals, sparrows and squirrels.)

It's most cost effective to wait for sales or to buy non-brand names in the largest possible amounts of each ingredient. (Some stores even have two store brands to choose from: the normal store brand and an even cheaper "value" brand.)

Monica's Suet Cake recipe:

1. Put 2 cups of vegetable shortening and 2 cups of crunchy peanut butter into a rectangular glass pan (13" x 9" x 2" or larger).

2. Microwave until shortening and peanut butter have melted. (You can also bake at 350° for 5-10 minutes until melted, but check often.)

3. Take out of microwave or oven and stir until well mixed.

4. Add the following ingredients, bit by bit, stirring well as you go:

• 2 cups raw quick oats
• 2 cups cornmeal
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup "snack treat" (such as cracked corn, sunflower seeds, nuts, raisins, etc.)

5. Set aside until the mixture hardens (you can put it in the refrigerator or freezer to quicken the process).

6. Cut into pieces sized to fit your suet holder.

You may need to run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cakes.

Suet made with vegetable shortening won't ever get as hard as that made from lard, so I keep mine in the fridge.

Monica Milla, the Garden Faerie, is a master gardener volunteer, garden speaker, garden coach and author of "Fun with Winter Seed Sowing."