I'm in love ~ Rotted food & chicken poop.

A few years ago, I went to county composting class and picked up a free composting bin. Fabulous little thing. I put it up in my back yard, and started throwing in our food scraps. Then, one day in the summer I opened up the lid to feed the compost, and EWWWWWWWW. It was moving and "broodling". Yes, it was making sounds :(.

I slapped that lid closed, and did not open it again until 3 days later. I am just too City Girl to deal with teaming maggots :(. What I did find out in that time (I was on a destroyer mission) is that my maggots were "good", and that people actually BUY them to eat the compost. Ew. I also read that chicken farmers love them. I sent a call out via FB and said they were free to whomever came and got them out themselves.

Then I covered them with newspaper & straw, and it all eventually stopped moving.

So, I am supposed to TURN the compost??? :)...Yes, girls, the compost needs to be taken care of. Fed, watered, turned.

Yesterday, on a warm & balmy 60 degree California winter day, my son and I decided it was time to turn over the compost, as our bin was filled to the max.

Ah....look what I found!

Beautiful, rich, dark compost, filled with happy worms. Enough compost to fill up 5 of my boxes in preparation for spring planting. Not only is this compost 'clean', it is FREE. Yes, FREE. As my husband will attest, we spends lots of mula in the spring on dirt & compost to refill those boxes.

Thanks to my fabulous girls, our compost is now getting even better with their contribution of chicken poo. And look, they are now enjoying the smorgesbord of critters that come up to dive around in it :). It's a wonderful cycle.

I keep a large coffee can on my kitchen counter and throw everything in there. No need for an expensive "kitchen composter". Break up the eggshells! I found eggshells that were whole on the bottom, so eggshells down break down easily. With that said, I put my eggshells in a mason jar on the counter, filled with water. Every other day, I water the flowers with it, then put them in compost. Break 'em first, nothing like putting your hands in stinky eggshell water.....

Did I mention it was free? I am now a compost ninja. I may even measure its' temperature....

And now...a little video for your enjoyment :).