Week 11 Update

According to the various sites I had read before starting to use Bokashi, a household of 2-3 people can keep on average about 2 weeks' worth of food scraps in the Bokashi tub before needing to empty it.

I've had my Bokashi system set up since the fourth week of October - so for over 2 months - and only now is it just about full. The food doesn't reach all the way to the lid yet, but it's getting harder to add scraps. I do it in weekly batches after storing it in the freezer, and the food comes out of my salvaged cottage cheese tubs in large, frozen blocks.

It's possible I was able to go longer because I made my own bins out of 6-gallon buckets, versus the ready-made Bokashi kits that have about a 5-gallon capacity - but that is only 20% bigger, and I've gone 400% longer.

I am usually feeding 1-2 people, not 3, and we don't leave any scraps on our plates. Perhaps the "average" households that the Bokashi bucket manufacturers refer to don't finish their dinners? Or cook with meat and as a result have a lot of bones? As I've been learning to cook with more fresh ingredients, I have had more scraps such as zucchini and pomegranate innards, but I still can't imagine filling a 5-gallon bucket in 2 weeks.

In any case, the time is near for emptying my Bokashi bucket for the first time. Last night, the juice I drained from the bucket smelled "cheesier" than usual. Perhaps this is because the matter at the bottom of the bucket has been there for so long - I think it's really ready to go!

I joined the Burbank-Glendale freecycle group and put out a plea for used planters or storage bins, and also contacted someone offering a very nice, used planter for sale through Los Angeles craigslist.

Here is a link that provides an easy step-by-step explanation of how to complete the last stage of Bokashi composting using a planter box or tub:

"How to use planters and EM compost to enjoy beautiful blooming"

This method is ideal for people who live in apartments, and don't have a yard in which to bury the fermented waste. Buried between layers of soil, the pickled scraps finally transform into "black gold" - and in a shorter time than with normal composting.