One of my favorite things about living in SE Portland is getting to know the local business owners. There is nothing I love more than attending open studio days at Lonesomeville Pottery. Their Halloween open house is never to be missed. Carved pumpkins and larger-than-life scarecrows are scattered throughout the property’s gardens, and uni
que ghost masks and jack-o-lantern pottery pieces are available for purchase. Equally fun is their December holiday open house where you can chat with proprietors/artists Danny and Wayne, pay homage to their sweet-natured studio dogs, and watch up to 30 different species of birds that call the Lonesomeville gardens home.
It is the gardens of Lonesomeville that inspire their pottery creations. Their hummingbird feeders are some of the most prime real estate in all of SE Portland, and you better believe that the hummingbirds know that. There is one feeder in particular that belongs to a male that the studio has dubbed Thor. No one drinks from Thor’s feeder unless he allows it.
In addition to providing hummingbird nectar, Lonesomeville provides homemade suet, which Danny and Wayne credit for the reliable population of birds in their gardens each winter. They have been kind enough to share their suet recipe online, so here it is.
Lonesomeville Pottery Homemade Suet Recipe
Ingredients:
- ½ pound of lard
- 1 ½ cups of bird seed
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup of oatmeal
- ½ cup of peanut butter
Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients well. Line a countertop space with wax paper. Pace cookie cutters on top of the wax paper, and compact the suet mixture into the cookie cutter forms (available, for example, at the local Decorette Shop, also in SE Portland). Leave the suet in the cookie cutters because this homemade recipe remains moist, so you will need the metal shape to ensure the suet maintains structural integrity. Use heavy gauge wire to poke through the suet near the top of your cookie cutter.
Danny and Wayne recommend hanging the suet with an inverted clear plastic bowl above the suet to discourage starlings and squirrels. You can do this by drilling a hole in the bottom of the bowl. Smaller, more acrobatic flyers can easily hang upside down and enjoy the treat.
I recommend following Lonesomeville on Facebook so that you know when they are hosting open studio events. We are lucky to share our city with such creative people who draw inspiration from the nature that thrives here in the Pacific Northwest.