How to make compost

I became interested in compost when I caught sight of a compost bin in my friends kitchen.  Of course I did not know what a compost bin was, so  I simply asked my friend, why she had a bin full of rotting garbage in her kitchen? and she explained to me that she is making her own compost.  I also asked her how she came upon this idea and what made her decide to grow her own compost, she then explained that she has been a part of CSA for some time now, CSA is Community Supported Aagriculture, and learned that this is a great way to help the environment.  The group held a compost making demonstration headed by Helen HO, in Vesta Trateria, this is an Italian restaurant in the neighborhood, and my friend went to see what the demonstration was about and if this was something that she would really be interested in doing.  Because a restaurant was willing to host such an event she thought how dirty or high maintenance can this project be?   Helen HO began her demonstration and gave everyone a pound of worms, a large strolite container, about 66 quarts big.  To start she showed her how to make a composit mixture of browns and greens.  Browns are leaves, newspapers, junk mail, etc.  The greens are vegetable scraps that are left over from cooking.  The greens get placed at the bottom of the container, then the "bedding" which is shredded newspaper.  Newspaper is great to use because it is biodegradable and provides an appropriate amount of moisture and helps absorb the odor.  Then the worms are added and you are ready to begin your composting process.  Since my friend began composting she has cut her garbage down by 50%.  This is mainly due to the fact that her leftovers and table scraps get fed to the worms to make compost.  She also informed me that it takes alot less energy to compost garbage then it does to actually recycle it.  This was very interesting to me because just by walking up my street I see how much garbage people go through a day, if more people started to compost their garbage they can dramatically cut that number down, and help the environment.
How to make compost step by step:
The worms used in compost are red worms, Eisenia fetida or lumbricus rebullus.  These particular worms thrive in the compost bins because they are good at recycling food scraps.
Warm Bin
Step 1: The container should be shallow (8 to 12 inches) with a lid to keep container dark and moist.  For every pound of worms you should have a surface area of a square foot.
Step 2: In the lid of the container drill ten quarter inch holes, for air circulation.
Step 3: Shred newspapers into one-inch strips and soak in water for the bedding.
Step 4: Wring out the excess water from the newspaper strips and place into the container and fluff up to make bedding.
Step 5: Add worms, lay them on top o the bedding and leave lid off warm bin for an hour in a brightly lit room.  Since the worms are sensitive to light they will burrow into the bedding.
Step 6:  Once the worms are settled in the container, add food to the bottom of the bin (greens) tucked under the bedding.
Step 7:  The scraps of food you place in container should be enough to keep container moist, but it may be necessary to add water from time to time.

When feeding the worms, you can feed them a little amount everyday or larger quantities once a week.  Excess vegetables you can keep in the freezer, and the frozen vegetables also provide the right amount of water needed to keep container moist for compost. 

There are problems that can arise when composting, fruit flies appear when fruit scraps are given to the worms for compost.  The rotting peels attract these flies.  This can be managed by limiting the amount of fruit in each feeding and maintaining the moisture in the container.  Also odor problems can occur.  Odors arise from the container being to wet, not having enough air ventilating the container, because the food container is naturally odorous you can avoid it being rancid by avoiding leaving meat scraps, bones, and dairy products because these products all smell horribly when decomposing.

Harvesting
Step 1:  When bedding resembles dark, crumbly soil (About 1 month to 4 months time) it is time to  harvest your vermicompost.
Step 2:  Move contents over to one side of the warm bed
Step 3:  Add new dampened bedding to the empty side, start placing food scraps on that one side.

After a month the worms should move over to the side with the food and new bedding and you can scoop out the worm free vermicompost.  If not scooped out in a timely manner the vermicompost becomes toxic to the worms and they can die.  
Vermicompost is an excellent source of nutrients for you plants and should be diligently.  Even when replanting plants you can use vermicompost to keep plant strong and fertile.

I know that the thought of a bin in your house full of worms and rotting food is not the most appealing idea.  But in reality it has many benefits to the environment and produce we consume.  To learn more about this product you can go to www.nyccompost.org

Organic Thanksgiving

This year my family celebrated Thanksgiving at my brothers house in Woodside.  Him and his wife have been going green for the past couple of years so being a friend to the environment and treating animals humanely is very important to them.  Also my brother and his wife have shares in an organic farm on Long Island called Golden Earth Worm and this is where they get all their fresh produce from.  The turkey that my sister in law prepared was from an organic farm in Vermont, Luis Waite farm, you can find them on http://www.stonewoodfarm.com/   The farm that they have shares in does not grow live stock, so the farm set up share options with other organic farms that allow their shareholders to receive meat and fruit from other organic farms that grow and raise products that they do not have on their farm.  All the vegetables used for this feast were from Gold Earth Worm.  Besides the turkey the rest of the menu consisted of a dairy free butter nut squash soup to start with, and various vegetable dishes.  Their was a harvest medley made up of baby red and baby white potatoes, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, shallots, garlic, carrots, and topped with organic olive oil, salt, pepper, and an herb blend of oregano, rosemary, and thyme.  For the stuffing my sister in law collected different organic breads such as sourdough, white, fresh loaf, and multigrain that was dried in the oven and tossed in olive oil and herbs, organic pork sausage, carrots, walnuts, dried cranberries and apples.  She also used mushrooms, that she purchased from whole foods.  For another side dish their was a mixture of greens, mustard greens, kale, and spinach sauteed with yellow onion and garlic.  For the cranberry sauce, she used organic cranberries from Cranberry Hill organic farm in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  The fresh cranberry sauce was made from cranberries and organic cane sugar boiled in two cups of water and it was absolutely delicious.  The mash potatoes were conventional, because my dad made them, and my family does not buy organic.  All the food that was prepared for our meal was absolutely incredible, it was a nice change from the normal thanksgiving side dishes and an absolute treat to experience the way fresh organic vegetables taste, and you can absolutely taste and feel the difference.  For Desert their was an option of pumpkin, pecan, or apple cranberry pie all made from organic materials.  The pumpkin pie was made from pumpkin that was baked and pured.  Also she added some Chi for spice.  The pecan pie was made from conventional pecans, but the sugar an butter used were organic, and lastly the apple cranberry pie consisted of apples, cranberry's, and cane sugar.  For a healthy topping she made an organic whipped cream, that is vanilla bean paste and organic sugar whipped together to form a fluffy cream, and it really was the icing on the cake, or pie in this case.

After thoroughly enjoying the thanksgiving meal consisting of primarily organic materials and fresh produce, I now realize why it is so important to eat organic.  Not only is the taste and texture of the vegetables different, but the color and size are also very different.  The vegetables fresh from the farm are bigger and richer in color, just by comparison the supermarket vegetables fall inferior and are noticeably less healthy looking.  I think from now on I am going to stick to the organic food plan.  To find out more information about this farm you can find them at http://www.goldenearthworm.com/.

Apple Picking

Recently I was given the opportunity to go apple picking at Wilklow Orchards in Highland, NY. It was about a two-hour drive upstate, but it was worth the trip. The orchard housed several different types of apples I had never heard of before. Supermarket staples Gala and Red Delicious were available, but other types such as Jonagold, Jonamac, and Mutsu were ripe for our picking. We were given a map to identify the locations of the different types of apples. This made it easy to navigate the orchard and seek out particular types we wanted. I was hoping to pick some Granny Smith apples, but this orchard did not grow them.


The apples in my local market, no matter what type, are always either a bright red or green and very shiny. I was surprised to find most of the apples in the orchard had a waxy texture and were a combination of red and green in color.  It became hard to tell the types apart in my bag of apples, because they looked so similar. After wiping the apples clean, we were able to bite into them right away, and they tasted very fresh and natural.   This whole experience made me realize just how important it is to eat fresh fruit and that fruit we are used to buying from the supermarket may not be as healthy for us as we think it is.

Forno Italia

Located on forty fifth street and Ditmars Blvd in Astoria there is a restaurant called Forno Italia. Forno Italia is a delicious Italian restaurant that is family owned consisting of a wait staff that consists mostly of family members. It makes you feel like you are eating dinner at someone’s home in Sicily. The restaurant was only established in 1993 and since has had a big impact on the neighborhood. It is well known for their food and hospitality. When you are seated you are given a basket of freshly baked bread directly out of their brick oven. It has that smoked, crispy texture and the fresh out of the oven warm goodness. The interior is a light brick wall with pictures of Italy, in the center of the restaurant is the huge brick oven that engulfs the restaurant with the smell of bread being baked. The wine that they serve is a house wine that is home made. When given the opportunity to drink homemade wine you always should, because every family has a different recipe. It gives you a taste of culture and makes you feel part of the family, because they are sharing a bit of their family heritage with you.


My friend and I ordered a bottle of their homemade red wine, and it was delicious. Not dry at all which is the impression red wine always gives me. For an appetizer we ordered Mozzarella Caprese which is sliced mozzarella and tomato. With the appetizer they give you an option of balsamic vinegar or olive oil to sprinkle on top of it. The Mozzarella Caprese was absolutely delicious and when I asked the waitress who was the owner of the restaurant where they get their mozzarella from she informed me that they make it themselves. I was impressed. This just further added to the family feel and appeal of the restaurant. For dinner my friend ordered Petto Di Pollo Parmigiana, chicken parmigiana, this consists of breaded chicken with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. I ordered Petto Di Pollo Francese, this is chicken coated with flour and egg and covered with a buttery lemon sauce. All meals come with a choice of vegetables, salad, or pasta. We both ordered the pasta and were completely happy and satisfied with our meals. Although the desert menu was extremely tempting, we just didn't have the room in our stomachs for it. I recommend that everyone checkout this restaurant, you will not be disappointed.