Bokashi A-Go-Go!

[citizentwiglet]

Yay, my bokashi bins came today!

You know, some people buy handbags, or shoes, or playstations, or TVs to make them happy. I buy a bloody composting system....and GOD, it was like Christmas for me today.

Must say, however, that the 'instructions' leave a lot to be desired as to what you can and can't put in it. My instructions say that it is OK to put in bones, and 'dairy produce'.

However, I was looking up more info today and found an Australian site that sell them. They say NOT to put in bones, and not to put in milk, or orange juice.

I know we have a few bokashi fans here - what do you NOT put in yours? Also, as the waste sort of pickles rather than composts, I imagine things could look pretty similar coming out as going in. In that case, is it worth cutting things up as fine as possible to put in the bin, so you (in theory) get a finer product at the end of fermentation (I imagine fermentation would work better with chopped things to, as you'd essentially have increased surface area)?

Thanks in advance!!! xx

[Green Aura]

The only thing I remember it saying not to put in was tea bags and coffee grounds - too acid apparently - so that would account for the orange juice too. There's no reason to put juices of any sort in it though is there. I think it needs to keep fairly dry and the liquid from the fermenting runs is drawn off regularly to stop everything drowning - but save it you can use it as plant food, drain cleaner etc - it'll eat it's way through blocked sinks

I've never put dairy products in because we never have any wasted - even my Parmesan rinds go in the freezer to bung in soups to enrich them but I see no reason why you couldn't. The EMs will ferment just about anything given time. But time is probably the reason why they tell you not to put bones in - they'll still be substantially intact by the time the contents of the bin are ready to be put in the compost or wherever you choose to put them and I suppose could attract rats. So best not maybe.

And as for chopping stuff up, I do. The EMs work anaerobically so the smaller the air gaps in the bin the better. I keep an old spud masher to compact it every now and then. You can get so much more in as well.

Once it's full you need to leave it, unopened for anything from a few days to a couple of weeks to mature (depending on the temperature. So we have two bins so we're never without.

[citizentwiglet]

That's great, thanks!

I should have clarified, really - I'm not thinking of tipping loads of milk into it, I was thinking of all those half-eaten bowls of soggy Weetabix my kids like to leave - as the weetabix has the delightful consistency of wet cement (can you tell I can't stand the stuff?), I'm thinking I could squeeze off as much milk as possible with the back of a spoon and compost what's left?

Bones aren't so much of an issue, really. We only buy chicken, and that's a pretty rare event these days, so I doubt the world will collapse because I've chucked a couple of chicken bones into landfill.

It's great to have a way of doing something useful with cooked food waste. My kids' appetites vary from day to day, it seems, and I detested scraping almost full plates of unsalvagable food into the landfill bin because they weren't suitable for the compost bin.

Thanks Maggie for all your help and advice, and encouraging me to buy one of these systems!! xx

[frozenthunderbolt]

so basically, they make sauerkraut without the cabbage then ;-)

[Green Aura]

Well usually (in our bucket anyway) there's lots of cabbage to! Although I wouldn't fancy eating any of it Jed

[george]

I would recommend cutting up things small. I put a couple of half onions in because they were rotten when I went to use them and they came out looking just like half onions so smaller bits are better.

I used to put coffee grounds in mine without any trouble but don't think I ever tried putting bones in it, just meat scraps.

[Berti]

Also here in netherlands, I ordered my Bokashi set two weeks back and the first bucket is now half full already.
It feels SO GOOD to finally be able to do this, instead of turning all organic matters in the green bin that is picked up fortnightly.
So far no smells at all.
I do also have a compost bin set up two months back and it is still full of fruit flies. Hopefully the bokashi will end that.
But first two bokashi buckets that are "ripe" will go in my square foot garden (first year) that really needs it.
Interested to see the results and if its actually as good as its said.......most people are very enthusiast!

[Berti]

diggin bokashi in.....did someone do this, as it came straight out of the bucket, into the veg patch?
I did....and after few weeks a white cast (fluffy mould) grew on top of the soil.
I hand dug it over all again.

now I have put the second bucket contents into the compost bin.
third one will go in the soil again.

does someone have tips on the dig in, I don't want to first dig under for a month and then dig up again...only if its avoidable.
if not...then just the compost bin....

[Green Aura]

Are you letting it mature in the bin Berti? You need to leave it for at least a couple of weeks when full, then dig a trench and spread it in the bottom and backfill it. I've never had any mould growing after burying it in a trench.

[Pumpkin&Piglet]

We are definitely going to try one or two of these!

I'd like to make sure I've got it right though. I need an airtight bucket to put my waste food into with some of the special bran and a hole in the bottom to collect the liquid that runs off - presumably with a tap to keep the bucket air-tight?

My husband says it's very easy to put a tap in a bucket but I've not know him actually do anything remotely similar so should I trust this?

[Berti]

yes I let it mature in the bin for at least two weeks or until it smells fermented.
then I digged it in. so just UNDER....not in a trench.
maybe that was the problem?

[Green Aura]

The bokashi bins have a grid in the bottom to keep the solid waste separate from the liquid, which needs to be run off regularly - the EMs are anaerobic but they can't swim

[Pumpkin&Piglet]

So an airtight bucket with a grid an inch or two from the bottom so the liquid can collect, does it need a tap at all then if the liquid is going to collect at the bottom like that that? It could just be drained off after i remove the solid?

[Berti]

there are sources on the interwebs how to make such an system yourself...most of the times its two buckets/ bins fitting into each o ther, one with holes in the bottom and a fitted tap or a cork, with a snap-on lid.

[Green Aura]

You'll almost certainly need to drain it before it's full, so yes a tap, or something like Berti described is necessary.