The smaller the bits, the faster it decays, so we've begun hand chopping the trimmings. It's an odd feeling, but not that different from crushing the carboard boxes or tin cans for recycling the way my grandfather used to with his foot. He was rather impeccable, but I did feel a little bad for their kitchen floor when I saw him flattening the metal against it.
I've solved the aeration problem for now by rolling the composting can. Now the challenge is to get more of the dry brown stuff in there. I understand I can use newspaper but I don't want to use newspaper. I'm developing an obsession with the pine needles my daughter tells me lie a foot thick in her friend's Park Slope backyard.
Designer dirt... I'd better nip this one in the bud.
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Speaking of chopping, I cracked up when I found my mother chopping vegetable scraps for her red worms in the food processor. There is a regular bowl in the fridge full of what members of the household frequently mistake for people-salad, only to be admonished, That's for the worms!
Ha! Imagine if your mother made you compete with worms for food. My mom was also a vermiculturist for a while, but it never got to that.
I'm thinking I should probably get some red worms, the kids have been asking for a pet, and I imagine they're hypoallergenic. Not to mention that the composter out back is filling up too fast so we may need to call in the annelids.
newspaper is a good idea - esp if you have a nice, soy-based ink option (such as Linewaiter's gazette) I keep a paper or two under my sink, shred it into the countertop stainless teel bucket before I dump out back - today my compost was STEAMING!
I roll mine too. Also, sometimes I tip it upside down. It's on an angle with the top on, but it seems pretty stable.
Thanks Meredith, where can I get the Linewaiter's Gazette?
Full tilt, MW!
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