6 Tips to Process and Use Pickled Food Scraps (Finished Bokashi)

So you’ve filled your pickling / Bokashi bucket, left it for a week or more (or approx. two months in this case), it smells like pickles and there’s white mycelium (fungal/bacterial threads) growing on top.

What options are there to use and process this probiotic creation?

bokashi smells like pickles growing white mould

 

TIP #1  - Empty Into A Compost Bin

This means adding equal volume of browns (i.e. carbon heavy material e.g. dried leaves, wood mulch, cardboard, paper etc.) and mixing this altogether. This will help ‘activate’ and heat up your compost.

Bokashi in compost bin with cardboard

TIP #2 - Bury In Garden Soil or Lawn

Dig at least 20-30 cm deep and bury your pickled scraps into your garden soil or lawn. This is a great way to introduce lots of fertility if your garden or lawn needs it! The pickled scraps will disappear within 3-6 weeks. When burying pickled scraps in garden soil, wait 6 weeks before planting into.

 Bokashi buried in garden soil lawn

Tip #3  - Bury in Plant Pots or a 'Soil Factory'

This is a great option if you don’t have access to garden soil, a compost bin or a lawn. Simply use the pot plant soil or add soil to a large container to make a ‘soil factory’ and mix your pickled soilid with the soil.

Bokashi Pickled Solid in Plant pots soil factory

Tip #4  - Find A ShareWaste Host

ShareWaste is a free compost sharing platform. Simply sign up to sharewaste.org.nz (or sharewaste.com) to find a host in your local area who accepts Bokashi in their compost system.

Sharewaste host bokashi in compost

Tip #5 Find A Compost Collection Service

If processing your pickled is sounding like too much admin, check out what local compost collection services are accepting Bokashi.
If you live in the Wairarapa, Hutt Valley, Wellington area, Little Farms offers a compost service in tandem with their organic vegetable subscription. For details, go to ‘Composting Service’: wearelittlefarms.com
Bokashi Collection Service Little Farms

Tip #6 Supplementary feed for pigs

Finished Pickled/Bokashi is a probiotic, so mixing the fermented food into the feed for pigs (and potentially other livestock) can support the animals’ immune system & their ability to absorb more nutrients.
Just remember it is illegal in NZ to feed pigs meat that has not been appropriately heat treated. If you are adding meat to your bokashi that will be used as pig feed, make sure it is heated to 100 degrees Celsius for a whole 1 hour before putting it in your Bokashi.
pickled bokashi for pigs
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