Eco-Friendly Pinecone Bird Feeders

Peanut butter should never be put into a standard compost system, because its high fat content causes it to attract pests, "dirty" bacteria,, and fungal overgrowth. For families who eat a lot of peanut butter, this often means that the leftovers in the bottom of the jar end up going to waste, but there is one child-friendly, fun, easy, and eco-friendly way to put leftover peanut butter to use: a pinecone bird feeder.

Pinecone bird feeders are completely free, because they can be made from everyday natural materials and earth-friendly leftovers found around the house. They are a great way to attract nesting songbirds throughout the year, and the craft is so easy to assemble that children can sometimes make them alone. To make an earth-friendly pinecone bird feeder from leftover peanut butter, here's what you'll need:

A Medium Pine Cone
Some Peanut Butter
Some Bird Seed or Leftover Sunflower Seeds, Peanuts, or Cashews
A few inches or ribbon or yarn
A Plate
A Butter Knife

Instructions:

1. Instead of composting your peanut butter, set it aside and collect as much of it as you can onto the plate. Alternatively, store small amounts of peanut butter, as-needed, in a specified jar for later use, and pursue the project when you have a substantial amount collected.

2. Loop the ribbon tightly about three "notches" down on the pinecone, and tie it at the top. It should have a tree-ornament style appearance. Be sure to tie it securely, but not tightly, so that it can slide onto a tree branch with ease.

3. Use the butter knife to smear peanut butter liberally on the pinecone. Fill all the cracks and crevices, but concentrate the peanut butter on the outer layers of the pinecone.

4. Pour your bird seed, leftover sunflower seeds, peanuts, or cashews on the plate. It is best to use a reusable plate for this purpose, since disposable plates are not considered to be earth-friendly or sustainable.

5. Sprinkle the birdseed or nuts onto the pine cone, holding it over the plate by grasping the ribbon. When they have collected on the bottom of the plate, oil the pinecone in the seeds until it is thoroughly covered with them.

6. Rub more birdseed onto the pinecone until it seems saturated and will not hold any more. The finished craft should show very little of the pine cone itself.

6. Hang the pinecone bird feeder on your front porch, any tree, or the entrance to a bird house.

This simple craft is an inexpensive, or even free, alternative to expensive suet-cakes and suet feeders, and it is very earth-friendly because it utilizes a frequently wasted resource. Since peanut butter is incompatible with average home composting systems, it is great to have such a child-friendly, earth-friendly, and budget-friendly way to use your leftovers.