Heart Shaped Bird Feeders (Natural, Organic, Vegan!)

I originally found this post last Valentine's Day from Alphamom.com.

A year later, I finally decided to give it a try. It was an epic fail. They didn't hold together at all. I tried salvaging what I had and added more agar agar to bind it, to no avail.

Nya really wanted to make these and I was determined to get them working. With some experimenting, we finally had success! Here's what we did...

What you need:

• 1/2 c water

• 2 Tbsp agar agar (seaweed - look for it in the Asian cooking aisles)

• 1/4 c date paste OR 3 Tbsp brown rice syrup

• 3/4 c flour (we used teff, but amaranth, brown rice, oat, or almond are great alternatives; and any can be used)

• 4 c birdseed

• parchment paper or silicon baking mat

• heart shaped cookie cutter

• String

What you do:

1. Mix all ingredients except birdseed together until a paste forms.

2. Stir in the birdseed making sure everything is coated well.

3. Place the cookie cutter down on the parchment paper or silicon baking mat and fill with the birdseed mixture. Make sure to pack down very tightly. Fill to the brim.

4. Take a straw or chop stick and poke a hole all the way through, making sure to reach the bottom, then pull out.

5. Slowly and carefully lift the cookie cutter up, place down on the mat, and fill again. Repeat until you have used all the mix.

6. In a 200 degree oven, bake for 1 hour, or dehydrate at 105 for 3 - 4 hours.

7. Once done, let cool for a bit. Take any neutral color string (we used fishing wire - bright colors will scare the birds) and string through the hearts.

8. Some small seed may crumble off, so it's best to bag these before giving as a gift. Hang in the trees and enjoy!

I bagged them along with a "Happy Valentine's Day!" tag and a list of ingredients (in case of allergies), and Nya brought them into school today for all of her classmates. Everyone enjoyed them!

You can use any cookie cutter shape you want and give these any time of the year. They are a fun, easy, and inexpensive craft to do with your children, and they make excellent gifts!

* We were still able to use the original failed mix. Nya and I collected large pine cones, smeared them with natural peanut butter (nothing added) and sprinkled the birdseed mix on them.  Another fun craft!

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