Happy Farmer Bokashi Kitchen Composter

If you are looking for an indoor composter there are a couple of options. One is to use a worm bin like the Can O Worms Worm farm. While that can be very effective, the reality is that a worm bin is larger than many people have room for in their kitchens, and some folks are just not comfortable with the idea of worms in the kitchen, in spite of how clean and odor free it may be.

One alternative that has been used for many years in Japan and Korea is the concept of bokashi composting. This has been perfected for use in the smaller kitchens of the Far East, and is a clean and relatively odor free technique for indoor composting.

The basic idea is that a bokashi compound is prepared that contains microbes that accelerate the food breakdown process. Bokashi, which means "fermented organic matter" comes with the composter, although it can also be made at home and in bulk, to be stored and used later. It's a mixture of sawdust and bran mixed with the micro-organisms.

How Bokashi Composting Works


The composting process is not a traditional composting process, but is more similar to fermentation. It breaks down the kitchen wastes with an anaerobic (oxygen free) process and generates a liquid that can be used as a soil conditioner. This process is much faster than traditional composting, and doesn't require the large mass of composting materials to be effective.

Because of this fermenting process, the bokashi composter can also handle small amounts of meat and dairy products that don't do well in a traditional composter.

To use it you cut up the food waste into the Happy Farmer composter, and mix in the bokashi. Continue until it is full, and then let it sit unopened for a couple of weeks and then you can add it to your garden soil. The Happy Farmer composter has a spigot that allows you to drain off the liquid from the fermentation process during the 2 weeks to avoid spoilage, and this can be used in potting soil as well.

This is just about the most cost effective indoor composting solution, great for apartment dwellers or anyone who wants to make quick use of their kitchen scraps for use in the yard or even inside planters and containers. It's been used for many years in the East, so it's a proven approach to an age old problem.