Compost Sequesters Carbon & Delivers Other Ecosystem Benefits
GardenExpo2015-pp
1. Please fill out the form for a chance to win
a free Mycrocycle Indoor
Composting System!
bokashi composting
2.
3.
4.
5. • Recipe
• Moisture and aeration maintenance
• Green house gases (GHG)
• 6+ months, usually longer
• Loss of nutrients: nitrogen & carbon
Composting is great but…
My name is Laura Gilliam, I’m the founder of MYCROCYCLE — and I’m passionate growing food, the cooking food, and the recycling food.
Today I’m talking about Bokashi Composting. Here’s a look at what this type of composting is like.
Raise your hand if you compost!
Keep that hand up …correct carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in your compost.
Keep your hands …manage moisture level and aerate of that compost regularly.
Keep your hands …12 months a year!
Keep your hands ….meat, fish and/or dairy to your compost…
This is the reality of compost.
For most people who “compost” - it’s a place where we dump plant waste and egg shells.
We don’t add spoiled pasta…
We don’t add moldy cheese…
We don’t add meat or fish….
Most of us here COMPOST--and traditional composting has undeniable economic and ecological benefits.
GHG: carbon dioxide, but also methane, and nitrous oxide are released into the atmosphere when we compost.
Nutrients are leached out of the compost because it’s not a closed system,
So, traditional aerobic (meaning the microbes need air to flourish)—has some benefits, but it also isn’t always perfect.
In addition—FOOD WASTE is a growing global problem, and there is a lot of concern regarding the amount of food waste that ends up in landfills.
So what can we do to reduce food waste?
make a list
storing produce correctly: onions & potatoes release gasses that cause each other to spoil faster….knowing how to store items, can keep them fresh longer
Use all the food that you make
RECYCLE WHAT YOU CAN’T EAT..This is where Good composting helps.
HELPS
When it comes to recycling food waste—Bokashi Indoor Composting is:
easy
can be done year round
Quick
creates compost with nitrogen and carbon intact
does not create greenhouse gases
Bokashi is the Japanese term for “fermented organic matter” It is a century’s-old practice of using microbes found in organic soil, to ferment bran, and using this fermented bran to control odors when composting food waste.
I make bokashi using locally-grown, wheat bran, which I mix with a blend of microorganisms, and ferment for several weeks, then dry completely.
microorganisms:
fungi, such as different strains of yeasts
Lactobacillus (lactobacteria)—which are the same bacteria that naturally ferment foods, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, cheese, beer..
purple non-sulfur bacteria—which love to eat animal stuff, and also ammonia and sulfur, so these bacteria control foul odors.
When sprinkling bokashi over food waste, the moisture in the food and carbon sugars feed the microbes, and they like it! They multiply rapidly, billions of microbes thrive in this environment. In addition to feeding off the food waste, the specific mix of microbes feed off of each others’ waste products.
They need an anaerobic environment (meaning the microbes do not like air)—so bokashi composting is done in a sealed container, which also helps prevent odors.
This is the simplest way to start mycrocycling—or indoor composting.
Use Air-tight container
Add bokashi
shredded paper, and kitchen waste.—compress to remove air, and seal
There are many different kinds of bins for fermenting your kitchen waste.
Air tight (anaerobic fermentation)
They need to fit in your kitchen
You’ll need at least two bins—so while one ferments, you can be filling the next bin.
Spigot or no Spigot?
-benefits of having a spigot:
-easy to drain off liquid bokashi tea.
-This liquid is concentrated with microbes that clean your drains.
-when diluted, can be excellent fertilizer for plants
—or can be used as an outdoor compost accelerator.
Size matters:
-you want to aim for a fermentation bin that takes 10-14 days to fill with kitchen waste.
-This is so the waste doesn’t begin spoiling before fermentation begins.
-Individuals or small families might use smaller bins.
-During winter months, many people find a smaller fermentation bin works, but they use a 5 gallon bin during the growing season.
Room temperature! It is odorless, so I keep mine in the kitchen, on the floor. If you keep it in the basement where it’s slightly cooler, allow more time for the microbes to fully ferment.
Using planter boxes is a great way to restore potting soil. But be sure that you have some added live soil or compost in the mixture when burying your fermented waste.
1 teaspoon of healthy soil from your garden contains:
75,000 species of bacteria
25,000 species of fungi
1,000 species of protozoa
100 species of nematodes
If you bury your fermented food waste outdoors, when you open the bokashi bin, a sign of white mold is a good thing! Healthy microbes are at work!
