the crusts

Most of the time, my children just will not eat their crusts! And it seems that this is a common problem for most parents.

The boys would make their requests for "peanut butter and buzz butter" on sandwiches. I would make the sandwiches and cut them into squares (another special request). My eldest (3.5) would gobble up everything at great speed - except the crusts - and my youngest (1.5) would eat the toppings off and leave all of the bread behind. Sigh.

Scraping all of that yummy bread into the compost was beginning to wear thin. What a waste!

I had attempted to make other things for lunch that weren't sandwiches. Especially for the little one. I served up lovingly prepared sticks of cheese, carrot, cucumber and ham, after which he ate all of the ham, took one bite from each stick and threw the rest on the floor.

Both of them keep insisting that they really do want sandwiches, so I came up with a way of making sure that every last bit of those darned sandwiches got eaten.

When the boys have 'finished' their lunch and leave the table, I grab their plates and take them to the kitchen. There, I have two small containers labelled with each of their names. I put their leftovers into the corresponding container.

After rest time, when the boys are hungry, I produce the creatively named "special containers" and make a big deal about presenting each boy with his own container that has his name on it. They choose a place to sit and then eat up all of the contents of their container.

The first time I tried this, I was amazed that it actually worked! And I didn't have to force them or anything. (Not that I was planning to force them, I just expected more of a fight about it!) After they finish the leftovers, they can then choose a piece of fruit (or whatever) to complete their afternoon tea. Woo!

(If there is still a little bit left after that, I just throw it out.)

For a little while, I was doubting myself. "Am I being too mean?"

But I soon realised that they were happy and the bread wasn't going to waste. Everyone wins!

the Bokashi Bucket - composting system

I received some great suggestions after expressing my concern about having to buy bags for our general household rubbish. A friend suggested using bread bags for rubbish. A great idea! Very resourceful. But it left me thinking, "that would last about two hours in our house before having to be emptied". The reality is that we just have too much waste.

There are different ways of reducing household rubbish, but one particular thing I noticed about our household is that half of our bin was always full of organic scraps! Cores, peels, bones, fat, uneaten crusts, forgotten fridge food, and more. But, since we live in a unit, I didn't think we had any option but to throw this stuff in the bin.

How wrong I was! Another dear friend introduced me to the Bokashi Bucket. ($69.90 from Todae online eco store for a single bucket and a 1.5kg bag of Bokashi Mix). This surprisingly simple product allows anyone at all to turn their food waste into a rich fertiliser. You can put ANY food scraps into this thing including citrus, egg shells, raw and cooked meats. You can even chuck tissues and small bits of paper in.


It doesn't take up much room and can easily be used on a balcony and even inside. And here's the best thing: it doesn't smell!

After I ordered our bucket, my three year old couldn't wait for it to arrive. He loves to help with our composting and even remembers to keep his banana peels out of the rubbish bin.

Here's how it works:
1. Place your waste into the bucket
2. Mash the waste to remove air
3. Sprinkle a hand full of the Bokashi mix over the waste

You just keep layering your food scraps in the same way until the bucket is full. The Bokashi Mix is made up of wheat, grains and microbes which aid the fermenting process. You can drain off any liquid if necessary from the little tap at the front. The liquid is called 'Bokashi juice'. When diluted it makes a really great liquid fertiliser for your garden.

When your bucket is full just bury the contents in your garden to allow it to completely biodegrade. After a few weeks you will then have nutrient rich fertiliser for your plants! (Or, in our case, for our families' gardens.) Then rinse out your bucket with water and start again.

We are loving our Bokashi Bucket and are excited that our rubbish is becoming something so useful. It has also been a great way for our boys to learn about the environment and how waste breaks down.
Who knew composting could be so fun!?

I have another organised room to reveal in a few days too! Stay tuned.