Composting

Composting is actually the best thing ever!!

I tried to get my husband to compost forever, but he just didn't want to make the effort for fear it would not be right. It turns out that it is quite simple, and nature just takes it's course.
I think the story goes something like this: I just walked out by our shed one day and said, "We're going to compost now." I grabbed some big rocks and put some of our rotting fence that you may have been noticing :') on top of the rocks. Shazam, a compost pit!! (actually, it was more like my husband grabbed the heavy rocks and rotting fence :') We started dumping.
It is so satisfying to see our leftover scraps being turned into rich soil that we will use for our garden next year. It does not stink at all, and saves even more in our trash cans. We hardly have to take our trash out at all, and actually have a difficult time remembering to do so when we really need to.
We keep a bucket, one of those prairie farms ice cream things, under our kitchen sink right by our trash can. Everything that can goes in there. We empty it out once a day, or more. I was very surprised to find how much we were throwing out that is good for soil. It doesn't sit long enough to even start to smell.
Things that can go in compost that you might not be aware of: napkins and paper towels (if using them, but try to stop and go to cloth please :'), hair (if giving children haircuts), dead flowers from arrangements, yucky weeds (if not too aggressive), leaves, and ... can't think of anything else now. Of course, anything food related. As my mother in law says, "give back to the earth what came from the earth."
I don't have the citation, but I did read in an article in Time magazine that our food that goes into tied bags and put on the landfill actually make up a large amount of carbon emissions. So, if you can't afford an electric car right now, that's OK, because you can make a pile of goo just outside your house.
The biggest secret of all... it's fun!!! We get a kick out of chucking things into the woods and providing our local raccoons with tasty first picks. They leave the neighborhood trash cans alone more too.
My husband received a huge pitch fork to turn the pile with. It is soo cool, and did I say fun? I'm looking forward to using our home grown dirt to grow our veggies next season.

Happy composting!!!!