Bean/Grain/Pasta Mix
 (makes one batch)
Dave Lester 

2 cups unpopped popcorn
½ cup red beans
½ cup white beans
½ cup garbonzos
½ cup dried peas
½ cup brown rice (or any rice other than white)
OR ½ cup pearl barley
OR ½ cup mixed rice and barley

½ cup pasta of your bird's choice
1 cup diced fresh carrot
Soak popcorn two days, and beans and peas for one day, changing the soak water every eight hours.
Cook popcorn for one hour in LOTS of water in a BIG covered pot.
Add beans and peas, cook for 15 minutes.
Add rice/barley, cook for ten minutes. Add pasta and carrots, cook five minutes.
Drain, cool, bag and freeze. Serves hundreds.
Everything stays sort of semi-hard. I found that they don't like it if it turns out too mushy, (like canned beans). Sometimes I dress it up with other veggies, add peppers to the pot or change the pasta types. And each bird has favorites in the mix, but generally they all eat most of it.

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