Bokashi composting is a method that uses effective microorganisms (EMs) in bran to ferment kitchen waste anaerobically. It allows all food scraps, including meat and dairy, to be composted with no odors or flies. Bokashi composting involves layering food scraps with EM-inoculated bran in a sealed bin, draining liquid fertilizer periodically, and leaving the sealed bin to ferment for 2 weeks before digging the finished compost into soil. This process creates nutrient-rich compost and liquid fertilizer from all food scraps.

1. www.leangreenhome.co.uk/bokashi Introducing Bokashi Composting Introducing Bokashi Composting www. leangreenhome .co. uk / bokashi Recycle ALL Your Organic Kitchen Waste

2. Recycle ALL Your Organic Kitchen Waste including cooked food, meat, fish and dairy. With Bokashi, you can now safely compost ALL your organic kitchen waste!

3. Speedily turn your organic kitchen waste into nutrient-rich, pro-biotic compost with magic bokashi bran. The bran acts to ferment, or ‘pickle’, your waste. There are no bad smells and it doesn’t attract flies. Bokashi composting is accelerated composting using bokashi bran – a wheat bran inoculated with effective micro-organisms (EMs)

4. This is a Bokashi Bin or Bucket. You need two because you’ll use them in rotation; whilst one is busy pickling your waste, you’ll be busy filling the other. You’ll need 2 of these:

5. This is Bokashi Bran, it’s wheat bran inoculated with effective micro-organisms or EMs. The organisms speed up the composting process by anaerobically fermenting your food waste. And, you’ll need some of this:

6. Add about 3-4 cm of food waste for every handful of bokashi bran. Kick start the process by adding a handful of bran to the empty bokashi bin. Fill the bokashi kitchen composter in layers of kitchen compost and bokashi bran

7. Replace the lid on the bokashi bin each time you add food waste and make sure there is a nice tight seal. If air is allowed to get in, the waste won’t ferment properly. Make sure you replace the lid each time you add to the bucket

8. The fermenting process is anaerobic, and lightly pressing the material down will help to expel any air trapped in the layers of food scraps and help the bokashi bran work its magic. Each time you add a layer of food waste, compress it down lightly with something suitable, like the bottom of a saucer or an empty pot noodle container

9. As you start to fill your bokashi bin a liquid fertiliser called bokashi juice will be produced. Drain off the juice every 2-3 days from the tap at the base of the composter. Drain off the Bokashi juice liquid fertiliser every 2-3 days

10. The bokashi juice by-product makes a fantastic liquid plant feed and will give your house and garden plants a real boost. It is quite acidic though and needs to be diluted at a concentration of 1:100 parts water, (20ml of bokashi juice to 2 litres of water). You can use the bokashi juice to give your plants a boost, or pour it straight down your sink to keep your drains clear of algae

11. The average household takes about two weeks to fill a bokashi bin. And once full, you need to leave the bokashi compost ‘pickle’ for at least two weeks. Remember to continue draining off any excess bokashi juice throughout the fermentation period. Once your bokashi bin is full, you’ll need to leave the contents ferment for 2 weeks

12. Transfer your fermented bokashi compost to the garden by digging it into a trench about 40cm deep and 1 metre wide. Before you empty the bucket make sure you drain off any excess juice. Alternatively, add the material to your compost bin or wormery. Dig the bokashi compost directly into the garden, or add the material to your compost heap or wormery

13. For more information on composting with bokashi visit www. LeanGreenHome .co. uk Useful links: LeanGreenHome .co. uk / bokashi LeanGreenHome .co. uk / bokashi -explained LeanGreenHome .co. uk / bokashi -instructions Thanks to EM Naturally Active for the bokashi character.