01/06/2025
Since we posted a story about hanging up handmade bird seed ornaments, we've gotten questions about how to make them. Below, we've shared our recipe, which is adapted from Julia Watkins (.living.well)
Let's keep our feathered friends fed during this cold snap!
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MATERIALS
1/4 cup unflavored powdered gelatin
Muffin tin and/or silicone baking cups
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water (at least)
2 1/2 cups birdseed (at least)
Biodegradable twine
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, mix the gelatin into the cold water until mostly dissolved. Add the boiling water and continue to mix until the gelatin is completely dissolved. (The consistency should be very runny, just ever so slightly thicker than water.) Add the birdseed, about 1 cup at a time, and mix well so that the gelatin mixture coats each seed. (You may need up to 4 cups of bird seed.)
2. Fill each muffin tin cup about three-quarters of the way with birdseed mixture. Using your fingers or a spoon, press the seed mixture firmly into the cup. (You can fill the silicone cups all the way to the top - they're easier to get out!) Make a hole for the twine by pushing the straw through the seed mixture and rotating it. Be sure to leave a thick edge between the hole and the top of the ornament.
3. Place the muffin tin and/or silicone baking cups in the refrigerator for a few hours, until the ornaments harden and gel. Once set, remove the ornaments from the tin by inserting a knife around the rim and gently pushing up. Thread twine through the holes and hang the ornaments on tree branches in your yard.
