rachelellen - LOL - now that little chuckle really made my day! I wondered about that too - perhaps I was a bit hasty, because it was a new experience. It seems to take a few tries to get me oriented in this new growing/preserving endeavor. There weren't an awful lot of nuts on them anyway. The tree is a dwarf type to begin with, and it's first season try. About the macadamias - I'm pretty excited about the way they turned out. The tree is right at home - it is evergreen anyway, likes the climate and produces beautiful long plumes of pink blossoms several times a year - making it a fine ornamental as well. Actually, I have more problems with being able to give my deciduous fruit/nut trees the chill hours they like for optimal production. They may not live too long as a result. Last year, however, they got enough, and I'm happy to say, most of my fruit tree production was very good - especially the apricots, and the new low-chill apple trees - also semi-dwarf. I'll take note of the almond advice - and thanks - you may be right. Bejay

I thought I posted here but maybe I closed out before it was finalized or something. I have heard that the salt in bacon is not good for the birds. But I don't know if it's true. I made up a batch today, and put some out in the bird feeder that is made from the bottom part of an old stove-top rotisserie. I pressed it down into the tray so I hope this discourages the squirrel. I made it with chicken fat so I hope that's not like cannibalism or anything for the birds. The dog now wants to go outside. I let him out for a little while and he went and stood under the bird feeder. Such a pig-dog. Thanks for that recipe! Is it supposed to be a little on the crumbley side? Maybe that is just because I made it with chicken fat, which seems to have a lower melting point than something like lard or beef fat. From now on I'll save the fat that drains off when we cook hamburgers, or what I skim off beef broth. Gosh, I just threw some away about a month ago. Wish I'd kept it now.

I have 3 suet feeder one for peanuts one for suet just peanuts butter suet here is a picture of one of them the squirrel come often in the day time and takes the peanuts

most anything with fat in it will get stale even in a freezer. But almost all birds have a very acidic digestive system, birds can get away with eating road kill and insects and garbage because of the high acid breaks down and digests food within hours of eating. most any bacteria or mold stays dorment in the cold freezer and the suet will probably be gone long before it could spoil. the worst time for any bird seed or foods is hot moist weather where thing get mold or fungus a lot easier.