Composting for the Squeamish

By far the most interesting thing I’ve done with food in the last several weeks is make compost. Not to be confused with composting that actually requires labor, my first-ever experience with composting is more like a really fun grade school science fair project. After studying every conceivable composter aimed at a largely untapped green wannabe market, I bought a Naturemill.

Designed for users with a low tolerance for bad smells and messy mixing, the Naturemill is an engineering marvel. Looking something like a computer tower case, the Plus Edition model I bought has a lidded top that opens to a chamber housing a mixing blade and trap door to a tray that catches the compost. You deposit kitchen waste in the top and when it’s good and ready (in about two weeks), it falls to the lower chamber for a little additional curing. It’s billed as an indoor composter, but I have mine parked right outside the back door off the kitchen—and yes, the novelty may wear off, but I like to lift the lid once in a while just to see the potato peels, coffee grinds, and apple cores turning into a rich, dark mess of good stuff for the garden or flower beds.

To be honest, I have always been more of a farmer’s market shopper than a backyard gardener, but the compost making cultivated an interest in growing a few veggies and herbs this summer. More on that in the next installment. In the meantime, check out the Naturemill video and if you decide to buy one, send along an email after you do your online order to the Naturemill folks and request a $50 discount. Tell ‘em Anne sent you.