In this article from the Kamloops Daily News, Deanna Hurstfield is looking to start a bokashi composting network where she lives. It has a good overview of the process.

I need to respond to these lines in the article:

Bokashi seems to offer many advantages, Hurstfield said. The catch? It’s not cheap.

There are bokashi kits available through Internet dealers, she said. The costs of those systems appear to run at about $20 to $30 a month for all the supplies, substrates and microbe mixes.

Here are the costs for the first year of bokashi composting using my system:

*[two 1Kg bags are included with the bokashi kits]

In the second year or, if you have your own buckets as Deanna does, all you need is the bokashi: $60

Monthly cost: $5

I’ve been generous on the amount of bokashi you need for a year. Although I say that a 1Kg bag of bokashi will last 2 – 4 months, I’ve had customers come back for a second bag after 6 or 9 months, even a year later. Recently, a small office re-ordered a bag of bokashi nearly two an a half years after their first purchase!

While my competitor’s prices probably do come close the article’s monthly estimate for the first year, the cost in the second year is much lower.

"If we can find a microbiologist who can help us figure out what is in there, we can cut the costs even more," she said.

It isn’t hard to find what is in the bacterial culture used to make bokashi. This blog post from 2007 addresses the issue of making and using your own friendly microbe culture, as does Bokashi Composting.

I have never hidden how to make your own bokashi which will lower your costs even more. I only ask that you buy the Terra Biosa Friendly Microbes [aka EM] from me.:-)

Do it today!

Many people during the summer asked if I would be at Winter Farmers Market at the Wise Hall, so I decided to apply.

2009

December 5 – 10am – 2pm

December 12 – Holiday Market 10am – 6pm

Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250 Commercial Drive

2010

January 16

March 27

I am, of course, available at other times to meet with new and repeat customers.

There is also a coupon on p. 209 of the 2010

book [and p. 201 of the 2009 edition]

http://www.greenzebraguide.ca/GetHome.php

http://www.greenzebraguide.ca/AllListings.php

http://www.greenzebraguide.ca/Buy.php

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This is Chloe. Wonderful dog.

We are fostering her for http://www.abetterlifedogrescue.org , a rescue society in Vancouver.

The other day she smelled a skunk across the street and went after it with the usual results. Phew!

Fortunately, it appears she wasn’t sprayed full on so the smell wasn’t so bad, but very noticeable.

There’s a first time for everything. Did I mention it was 3:00 A.M.?

So, a quick search of the Web showed that a combination of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda will do the job very effectively. But the ingredients were not available. They are now.

As soon as I got home, even before I searched the ‘net, I sprayed Chloe with a combination of Terra Biosa, molasses and water. Since I know that Biosa, the active ingredient of bokashi, helps stop the smells of composting, I thought it would help. I was right. There was about a 20 minute delay before we got Chloe into the bath and washed her down with a dog shampoo. Later that day, as I walking her about, I asked three strangers if they could smell the skunk odour on her.

They couldn’t. I’m pleased.

By the way, if you are looking for a dog to adopt consider Chloe. Here’s the description from http://www.abetterlifedogrescue.org :

Hi, my name is Chloe and I am a 5 yr old large mixed breed, probably some chow, possibly some schnauzer or terrier and perhaps a hint of shepherd. Everyone who meets me thinks I am pretty special. I adore people and getting lots of affection. I will sit by your side and soak up the love for as long as you will let me. I haven’t had much affection in my life so I am trying to make up for lost time. I am good with other dogs but am not particularly interested in playing with them – I prefer the company of people. I am good with little people too but I like to chase after cats and other small animals. I am a big girl, weighing in at 88 lbs and am a medium energy dog. I am not too pully on the leash but will need some training to heel. I know how to sit and come and am eager to please and very smart so I can learn whatever you would like to teach me. I am not a barker and I don’t jump up either but I will wag my tail furiously and smile from ear to ear when when you come home. As with all dogs I would love a home where someone is home most of the day or can take me with them to work. My adoption fee is $250.

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A few customers from the past few months:

If you are a returning customer, send me an email or give me a call to let me know the day you plan to come. That way I will bring extra bokashi for you.

New this year: All customers will get a bokashi card. After your 5th refill, you get a free bag of bokashi!!

June 28 – Kitsilano [Map]
July 1 – Main Street Station [Map]
July 8 – Main Street
June 15 – Main Street
July 22 – Main Street
July 26 – Kitsilano
July 29 – Kitsilano
Aug 2 – Gastown [Map] – New!
Aug 9 – Kitsilano
Aug 16 – Gastown
Aug 23 – Kitsilano
Aug 16 – Gastown
Sept 6 – Kitsilano
Sept 27 – Salmon Celebration*
Oct 18 – Kitsilano
Oct 25 – Kitsilano

*in Vanier Park [Corrected 25Sep09 - Not a Farmers Market event. Regrets for the inconvenience this may have caused]

I have also applied to am attending the Gastown Farmers Market which will operate on Sundays between August and September. When I know my dates, I’ll add them here and in the sidebar.
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From the email:

T writes: Have you had any experience with the bears and the fermented compost? Are they attracted to it? I live in West Vancouver and would like to order some dry bokashi mix but was wondering about the bears when I go to bury the fermented food scraps.

All I can say with certainty is that the deeper you bury the fermented food scraps, less smell will percolate above ground. It is my opinion that bokashi compost does not smell like normal rotting food waste so it is less attractive to animals that may want to eat it.

A few years ago, I put a large quantity of bokashi prepared food waste on a raised garden bed and covered it with straw. Purposely, I left one corner exposed and waited to see what would happen. Wasps and flies were around but never landed on it.

Your own experience may vary. I hope this helps.

Al

[as this person did by some bokashi, I'll be asking for updates]

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From the email:

From: Sue N
Date: Tue, May 19, 2009 at 7:09 PM
Subject: [Bokashi]
To: aapNO@SPAMgreatday.ca

Hi Al,

I save organic waste for a friend who has a community garden plot. As I live in very small studio apartment with no cross-ventilation, the odour can be fairly overpowering every time I lift the lid of the ice-cream pail containing the potential compost.

A friend gave me a sample of your [Bokashi] product, and it made an immediate difference to the strength (and quality) of the offensive smell.  I can now continue to save this material for my friend during the summer months, rather than stopping until the cold strikes again.

Good product!

Sue N

Thanks Sue. I really appreciate this kind of feedback.

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From the email:

I got your site from one of your customers. I want to set up a
composting system on our deck here, but want to make sure that it doesn’t have flies, and that it works on a balcony.

We have a staff of about 60, so we produce a fair amount of compost.

What can you do to help set us up properly over here. Keep in mind, we are a non-profit.

A collection bucket in the kitchen can hold the food waste until it is full. At that point, it can be placed in 5 – 6 gallon plastic pail [HDPE 2] and bokashi sprinkled on top. This will start the fermentation process and keep the flies and smells down as more material is added. A 5 – 6 gallon pail will fill up in about 7 – 10 days. Bokashi can be added to the kitchen collection bucket as well.

When the 5 gallon bucket is full, it needs to sit for about 10 – 14 days to finish fermenting. At that point it can be added to a composting system for finishing.

The biggest challenge will be processing all the collected bokashi compost material. If you have the space, it can be done but it may work just as well to give some of the full buckets to your staff to process in their own compost bins at home. One of my customers, the AIBC office http://www.aibc.ca , does that now.

Here is a simple Do it Yourself compost bin http://www.yougrowgirl.com/garden/urbancomposting.php

This can be adapted to the size required.

Worm composting for large facilities is possible as well.

Here are some options:
1) in Vernon http://www.briteland.com/biobin.htm
2) in Kamloops http://www.allthingsorganic.com/Products/can-o-worms.asp
3) from Quebec http://www.woodwormfarms.com/index.php

I have one more option in the process of being developed that would be ideal for apartment size balconies. When it is ready, I will give it to you to test out.

All these systems are compatible with bokashi as an adjunct to normal composting. In a small urban space, odour and fruit fly reduction are important. Bokashi can assist with that.

Although my focus is on composting, the microbial liquid I use to make bokashi is also a probiotic beverage imported into Canada as a food item. There are many good things to say about the use of probiotics and a member of my delicious network has over 87 links to scientific studies about their benefit to human health.

Earlier this week I felt a cold coming on. I was sneezing and achy and had this I-know-I’m-getting-cold feeling. And a cold was the last thing I needed. So, I drank 250ml 125ml of Vita Biosa, bundled up and went to bed. In the morning, my symptoms had not worsened and I made it through the day feeling pretty good. That night, I drank another 250mls 125mls of Vita Biosa and in the morning my cold symptoms were gone.

I know that anecdotal evidence can’t be relied on to prove effectiveness but then I found this:

A study by the Australian Institute of Sport found endurance runners given a probiotic supplement suffered less severe flu and cold symptoms than other athletes.

Their illness also generally lasted only half the time of those not taking the supplement, lead researcher Dr David Pyne said.

…

The volunteers were given the probiotic for four weeks and then later given a placebo capsule containing harmless starch for a further four weeks.

The supplement did not affect the athletes’ performance but it significantly shortened and softened the symptoms of the illness.

While taking placebo capsules, seven runners reported respiratory illness such as sore throat, coughs, runny nose, chest congestion and sneezing, lasting a total of 72 days.

But while on probiotics, only three runners reported illness lasting a total of 30 days. Source

I had nothing to lose and everything to gain by doing this. It looks like I came out ahead. I’ll start taking the liquid in smaller doses on a regular basis.

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I donated a bokashi bucket to the Living Oceans Society‘s silent auction

Living Oceans Society is Canada’s largest organization focusing exclusively on marine conservation issues. We are based in Sointula, a small fishing village on the Central Coast of British Columbia.

Living in a coastal community, we are reminded each day that it’s not just about the fish—it’s about the fish and the people. Living Oceans Society believes that people are part of the environment and that by protecting the B.C. coastal ecosystem, we can build sustainable communities today and for our children.

Since Jennifer Lash started Living Oceans Society in 1998, we have advocated for oceans that are managed for the common good, according to science-based policies that consider entire ecosystems.

I’m in good company with many other businesses contributing to a great cause:

Living Oceans Society – Join us in Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary!

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