I'm constantly on the look out for new things that we can try around the farm to try and make a difference one way or another.

One issue that has cropped up is that we need to improve our composting. Over the winter it has become very clear the composting heap is in a far from ideal place, as it gets flooded when the snow melts...

As part of this, and after listening about it quite a few times on the Wiggly Wigglers Podcast, I have spent quite a long while mulling over the idea of EM Bokashi - or Effective Microorganisms - as a method of helping with "composting" waste, and improving the health of soil and animals.

Bokashi uses bacteria, yeasts and fungi to break down the materials you normally compost. So far so normal. The difference is that instead of composting them, it ferments them, and turns them into a form that can be more easily broken down in the soil. The EM Bokashi also introduces healthy bacteria and yeasts (yup, just like Yakult and their ilk) into the land.

It was developed by Professor Teruo Higa from the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, and now kits are available worldwide to make it easier for people to try!

One such kit is available from Wiggly Wigglers in the UK. We bought the "Yoghurt Maker " version.

 We haven't started using the kit yet, but thought it was interesting enough to explain a bit about it before we do start using it.

 The bokashi is brewed in the above fermenter from two bottles - one the food for the brew, and the other the culture. After a week the liquid should be ready to inoculate your own sawdust and bran for composting waste, or you can use it watered down as feeds for plants and for livestock. If you don't want the mess, you can buy pre-inoculated bran. But making your own doesn't sound that hard ...

There is an interesting paper on the technology from the man himself here . We'll report back our progress...