Helloo! I have thought about composting for years now. In fact, I was a volunteer docent with ‘Aina in Schools at my daughters school, and this year we were supposed to be teaching/learning about composting. One of the methods I was looking forward to learning about was Bokashi! Then COVID happened and my daughter hasn’t been back to school in person, and neither have I.

So… I had to start this project on my own, with only YouTube as my guide.

SET-UP: I’m using a 2 Bucket method. I have 2 large (10 gallon?) buckets, one inserted into the other. The top bucket has holes drilled into the bottom of it to allow liquid to pass through. The top bucket also has a lid on it.

STEP 1: Each day I take my kitchen food waste out to my buckets and layer it in. I then cover it with BOKASHI BRAN that I bought online. Then, I cover my bucket system and check the bottom bucket for liquid. If there is liquid in the bottom bucket I let this “tea” out. (MORE on what to do with Bokashi Tea soon.)

STEP 2: When the top bucket is full, we will begin a 2 week fermentation process!

STEP 3: When the fermentation is done, we will bury the “Bokashi Pickles” in a pit in the yard.

STEP 4: 2 weeks after burying the pickles, we will check to see if the pickles have turned into COMPOST to use in the garden.

AND BASICALLY (in a perfect world) that would be it. This process will help me to divert my kitchen waste to my garden, sequestering the nutrients and carbon rather than letting them rot out in a landfill, producing harmful gasses instead. My garden will get some top-notch compost!! ORGANIC GARDENING for the WIN! And who doesn’t LOVE a LIVING science project?!?

BUT ALAS, it’s not a perfect world, and my Bokashi process is NOT going as I planned… So I’m going to journal about it and if you’re interested, follow along.