SALLY BLANCHARD’S FAMOUS ‘GLOP’ RECIPE

The following recipe feeds my 6 parrots of various sizes and appetites for their morning meal. ‘Glop’ also makes a great hand-weaning food to finger feed your bappy.

•1 small jar of baby food carrots, sweet potatoes, or winter squash (I use Earth’s Best because it is organic - they also have high vitamin A vegetable varieties with chicken and turkey. I occasionally use apricot, peach, or papaya baby food.) You can also use baked yams, winter squash or cooked, mashed carrots.

•3 slices of coarse whole-grain crumbled toast. (I vary the bread but use the healthiest bread I can find without sugar and salt. I particularly like a Ezekiel Low Sodium Bread available in many Health food stores.) You can also use high quality cooked grains such as quinoa, amaranth, etc. and/or oatmeal.

•2-4 Tablespoons of nonfat plain yogurt.

•I highly recommend adding a a few drops to a 1/2 teaspoon of Essential Fatty Acids (EFA). There are several varieties available including Flax Seed Oil. Adding EFAs to the diet has helped quite a few parrots with feather destructive behaviors.

•Optional: 1/8 cup high quality hand-feeding formula, ½ t of Essential fatty acids or a sprinkle of a spirulina or wheat grass type supplement (these supplements should not be added to the Eclectus diet).

Put in a large bowl and mash together until toast is saturated with baby food and yogurt and everything is evenly mixed. Consistency can be changed according to your parrot’s preference. Mine like the toast chunky and the mixture thick - about the consistency of a moist turkey dressing. ‘Glop’ is ready to feed - it does not have to be cooked.

Anything that is nutritious can be added to the glop for a variety in texture, color, and shapes. I will feed it plain or mix one or more of the following: finely chopped collard (mustard or turnip) greens, kale or broccoli flowers, grated carrots, wheat germ, flax seed meal, oat bran, no sugar breakfast cereal, low salt V-8 juice, grated tofu-cheese, nonfat cottage cheese, chopped nuts or raisins, chopped very hard boiled egg, pasta, brown rice, well, cooked chopped chicken, powdered pellets.

Remember that any soft food will develop bacteria if left too long in the cage. I serve each batch fresh & never use leftovers as ingredients. I never have to worry about this mushy mixture going bad because all of my birds eat it as soon as I put it in their food bowls.

My grey, Whodee, loves his ‘glop’; and my double-yellow, Paco, has relished this food—barely coming up for air when I feed it. The nutritious mixture as a part of their diet has kept them healthy for almost 35 years. Their feather condition is superb.

If you only have one bird and want to make the whole batch, the ‘glop’ can be rolled into balls or placed in an ice cube tray and frozen. Thaw as needed but don’t overcook. Add any supplement after heating since heating can destroy the vitamin A.

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