How to Attract Birds

If you’d like nothing better than to gaze out into your garden and see birds frolicking about, you’d do well to actively recruit them. Here’s how to attract birds to your garden.

Plant a Food Supply

If you want birds to stay in your garden without the help of bird feeders, you should plant a variety of shrubs, trees and flowers that actually provide food for birds year-round. Start with a good mix of deciduous and evergreen trees. Deciduous trees produce fruit and nuts while evergreens provide pinecones and berries. Both plant types offer a place for birds to nest and visit.

Reduce Lawn

You’ll want to reduce the amount of space the lawn takes up in your yard. Bare expanses of grass have little or no attraction for birds. Build up your garden with a collection of plants in close quarters. Consider a path and arbor through a variety of blooms and fruit trees. Give the bird something to hide and nest in.

Provide Water

You’ll also want to provide your feathered friends with a source of water. A bird bath makes an attractive addition to a garden or you can install a small pond or fountain for appeal as well as a location for birds to drink and bathe.

Bird Feeders

While waiting for your garden to grow, or if you’re simply unable to build the kind of garden to attract birds, you can also install a bird feeder in your backyard. Be sure the feeder is well stocked with birdseed on a daily basis and hung far enough away from the house and action that birds feel safe. Then, sit back and enjoy the birds that come by for a quick snack.

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How to Use Walnuts

Walnuts add a great deal of flavor and appeal to many food items. They have many nutritional benefits including Omega 3 fatty acids, protein and antioxidants. If you’d like to take advantage of these delicious and nutritious nuts, here is how to use walnuts.

Shelling Walnuts

If you have purchased or collected walnuts that are still in the shell, you are in for a fun afternoon of cracking and peeling. This can actually be fun, especially with kids. Invest in a nutcracker, get a comfortable seat outside or by the trash can and get started. Crack each walnut and open it. There are two halves of meat inside. Try and extract each side of the meat in a single piece leaving behind any skin or shell fragments. You may need a pick to be able to get under the meat and pull it out.

Serving Whole Walnuts

You can serve whole walnuts as a snack as they are, or with extra flair. You can roast walnuts at 160-170 degrees and then sprinkle lightly with sugar or salt for a nice treat.

Crushing Walnuts

Most recipes call for crushed walnuts. Fortunately, walnuts are soft, so they are easy to crush. Put your whole walnuts inside a study plastic bag. Use a kitchen mallet or spoon to beat the walnuts gently. You can also use a rolling pin to break them down. A food processor or special grinder can do the job easily as well.

Crushed walnuts can be added to many different recipes to add additional flavor and as a garnish. Here are suggestions of how to use walnuts in recipes:

• Sprinkle crushed walnuts on the top and sides of a chocolate cake.
• Sprinkle crushed walnuts into pancake or muffin batter.
• Stir crushed walnuts into yogurt
• Sprinkle crushed or whole walnuts into a salad.
• Add crushed walnuts to dressings and stuffing.
• Include walnuts in a trail mix.

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