‘Don’t compost cooked food.’ I can’t remember how often I’ve said that to people. Plate scrapings soon stink and every undesirable neighbour round about will rush to your compost bin. But there’s a way round nearly everything and Bokashi ‘composting’ is the answer here.
We always want our compost bins to be sweet-smelling, with aerobic bacteria decomposing garden waste in an airy environment. But cooked food waste is dense and airless so only anaerobic bacteria can function and they emit a foul stench. The dilemma has been developing a system for householders that deals with this.
Originating in Korea and taken up big-style by the Japanese in the 1980s, many of us here are now using Bokashi. The bin is sealed and keeps the stink to itself.
A Bokashi is very flexible. Put in as much or as few scraps as you’ve got, whether you’ve eaten by yourself or held a party. Place it wherever it suits and leave a full bin for as long as suits. The bacteria will process whatever you put in, both raw and cooked food waste. Though meat bones and milk are best avoided.
The Bokashi is fundamentally different to all our composters, because it’s not actually a composter at all. It’s a food fermenter or pickler. It ferments the food waste, breaking it down after extracting liquid. And because the lid is securely sealed, the bacteria work in a virtually airless environment and the stench stays in the bin.
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When the bin is full, leave the gunge to mature for a fortnight and then finish the process by composting it down. And, by the way, the fermenting waste will be ready after a fortnight but you can leave it for up to a year - till you’ve time to empty it.
So how does it work? The bins come in several different sizes. [See the Wiggly Wigglers website.] There’s a tap at the bottom to drain off liquid. This is very strong and and for plant food should be diluted 100: 1. A grid keeps the waste above the liquid and every time you add waste, you sprinkle a little bran over. This is vitally important.
The bran is impregnated with the millions of anaerobic organisms that ferment the waste and and make the process happen. The bran is available from suppliers. Some, like Wiggly Wigglers will send you a steady supply, if you like.
As the waste builds up, press down with the little tool provided and when completely full, drain any final liquid, seal and leave it wherever you like for at least two weeks. Then start the second bin.
As I said the Bokashi doesn’t make compost, it ferments waste. What you see when opening the full bin won’t look very different to what you put in. But it only has a slight pickling smell and is crammed with microorganisms.
It’s extremely strong so, added to a composter, it will complete a bin’s composting much more quickly. You could bury it in soil, keeping well away from young plant roots. Or use it as an activator for fresh or old commercial compost, layering the pickled food waste with spent compost in a plastic sack or large pot.
Plant of the week
Heliopolis Luna Roja, or Heliopsis helianthoides va. Scabra ‘Luna Roja’ to give it its full name, has sunflower like flowers with fiery orange red petals making you feel warm on the greyest of days. Each bloom is smaller than the classic sunflower and several are borne on the stiff, branching stems.
The plants are much shorter too, only growing to about half a metre. The foliage emerges vary dark green, almost purple in spring, and makes an attractive clump.
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