How to manage compost

The work, the love, the art that goes into making soil from waste (composting) is a critical part of how that system out there (Nature...) created the fertile world around us. Understanding that system and putting ourselves into it we began to create our own fertility and it changed the way people practiced agriculture.

I grew up using a compost pile in the back yard for our food waste, and often had the job of going out to dump the pail on the pile behind the barn and layering on a bit of dry stuff: leaves, hay, and some animal manure if you had some. These piles would heat up as the microbes burned through life cycles and changed  that pile of kitchen scraps into that fluffy black gold that then fed the next years gardens, and yes made more kitchen scraps.

Recycling the food waste from your kitchen is certainly a personal decision and people have many options for dealing or not dealing with it. Right into the trash, In Sinkerators, a pile in the back yard (a personal soft spot of mine), worm boxes (great for cities and small holdings), and some places even have curbside pick up!

Obviously the first step in this is to separate it out. One of the critical points on the so-called "Kitchen Triangle" is the garbage! By this I mean recycling, trash, and the food waste. This is a critical part of a good kitchen layout. A place I visit almost as often as a refrigerator, that beast that always finds it's place in people's work triangle.

But back to food waste. Certainly this is mostly an issue for folks who do some cooking and especially when using a lot of whole foods (foodies, we know who you are!)  In our favorite kitchen layouts this receptacle is front and center, right there in the middle of your favorite work spot, maybe between the sink and that best prep counter. This is where the scraps are made and the plates are scraped before washing. It is just so darn convenient right there.

 We have for years used a pull out top drawer with a stainless steel pan and lid. Actually a steamer tray for a cafeteria set-up. This is a tidy option mostly because it gets it off the counter, I hate seeing that wonderful counter space getting to plugged up. The steamer tray is also nice because it is wide and not too deep, fitting nicely in a drawer.

 These do have their drawbacks. The drawer space must be well polyurethaned  so that it can be kept clean. It can be stinky if scraps are not taken out and the pan washed regularly especially in a closed space like a drawer. The pan, though the dimensions are great, does not seal well and does not have a handle, making it a little awkward  to move out of the kitchen. (Does anybody out there have the greatest compost pail in the world?) Anyway, I guess I am still looking to refine our system.

 So send me your ideas, photos, and incredibly clever systems that you have developed for both collecting  the waste on the kitchen end, and for making that delicious black gold that comes out the back end.