This recipe is translated from another fantastic birdlover and creative soul, Ramona Olaussen. To find more of her fabulous homemade projects and crafts, visit her website Stjernefrø.
Every winter we try our best to feed our little winged friends with enough good food to last until the bountiful days of spring and summer are back. Finding plasticfree treats that we know that won't harm them and provide what they actually need is usually a challenge and/or expensive. We were therefore so glad when we saw our friend's website with a recipe for bird fatballs (galant name, but when it's -25C, the fat is necessary). We tried it for you with great success (the birds even prefered them to industrial fatballs that we had previously bought) and translated the recipe here under.
One of the coziest things I know are birds that bring life to the garden all year round - Ramona Olaussen
We've always loved our birds, whether it be a raven, a buzzard, a jay, or a tiny blue tit or a wagtail. Living in the north, we witness so many of them leaving us in autumn only to reappear in the spring. This makes us appreciate even more the ones that stay with us during the long winter periods. Finding ways to keep them around and enjoy their presence make the dark months somehow pass more easily. So, without further ado, lets get down to business. Here's our variant of Ramona's recipe.
Homemade bird fatballs
Ingredients and material:
The proportion of ingredients depends a lot on the amount of fat you have. As a rule of thumb, I usually keep more dry ingredients at hand, should I suddenly need more. Since it's ingredients we have in seperated container, it's also easy to quickly add some more (especially the ones that don't require any chopping).
1 package of unsalted fat like Flott or Delfia. You can also use coconutoil. Be careful that it shouldn't melt at room temperature and that it has no additive like salt.
Bird seeds mix. We used bird sunflower seeds
Unsalted shelled seeds, like sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, linseed, pumpkin seeds, etc.
Finely chopped dried unsweetened fruits, like apples, apricots, etc. Make sure they haven't been coated with sugar.
Cereals. We used oats flakes (be sure to let them soak in the fat)
Chopped nuts, like walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.
To make the fatballs, you'll also need:
Cotton threads (about 40-60cm long, tied and fold to make a dobble thread)
Washed and halved cardboard milkboxes
Biscuit cutters/cookie forms, think big
Baking paper
Recipe:
Melt the fat in a cooking pot to a point where it's liquid but not so hot as to boil.
While the fat melts, prepare the dry ingredients and chop the nuts and dried fruits.
When melted, take the fat of the heat and add all the other ingredients. Start with the oatflakes (so the can soak in the fat) and the chopped ingredients. Add progressively the other until it looks like the seeds are coated by fat, rather than seeds floating in fat (a bit difficult to explain, see the picture if you're unsure).
Cover a flat plank (I used an oven plate) with a baking sheet and place the cookie cutter.
Cookie forms: With a spoon, start scooping the mixture into the cookie cutters until half way up. While scooping, let the fat run back in the pot to only keep the coated seeds and other ingredients. Add the thread and cover with the mixture again (see pictures below). Press it gently to reduce the air pockets. Normally, the fat shouldn't run from under the cookie forms. It you see it getting messy and runny, scoop it up, back in the fat mix and add more dry ingredients.
Carboard milk boxes: Pour a teaspoon of mixture in the bottom the the box and press the bottom of the dobble thread in it. Just like you would do with a candle wick, attach the thread to a pencil or chopstick so it can stand vertically in the box. Scoop the mixture with a tablespoon in the box, alternating sides so the thread stays in the middle. (While scooping, let the fat run back in the pot to only keep the coated seeds and other ingredients.)
When you have scoops all the mixture with the seeds, you may still have some fat left. Pour it over the filled cookies forms and milk boxes, starting chronologically (so you let the newest form/box solidify a bit first).
Let to cool down in the fridge or freezer overnight.
Gently warm the sides of the cutters and boxes with your hand and push the fatballs delicately out (push the sides to not break them). Et voilà.
That's it! We keep our fatball in the fridge until we put them outside. As you've understand now, no balls were involved here, but the principle is the same. Our birds love them and it takes several days for them to work throught one fatball.
You can find more PICTURES HERE that should help or maybe inspire you.
If you have tried it or follow another recipe, please share it under this post! We would love to hear it.