23 February 2010

My Christmas Present

This bowl has taken up residence in the windowsill above our sink.

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Awesome Miranda. Thanks for showing us what looks like a bowl of garbage. Nice way to start the morning. Yeah, I hear you saying it. But the truth is, this bowl is awesome because it goes along with the Christmas present that N8tr0n gave me this year. Here it is:

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Do you know what it is?

How about now?

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A home composter! Yes! I know that two exclamation points is maybe showing a little too much excitement over something like compost but hey, I am who I am.

I've been thinking about composting, mmmm....ever since I met N8tr0n's mother. She is an exceptional gardener and keeps a compost pile behind her house. Inside her house she has a bowl where she keeps all her compostable scraps. I was always so impressed to see how little actual garbage they throw into their trash bin. I realized that so much of what we were throwing away could become compost!

For a while I researched composters for sale on the internet but was discouraged by the price. Even the smaller systems people were selling at the farmer's market were costly. I also came this close to setting my hopes on a worm farm but...no....just, no. I finally figured composting was something we would look into more when we had a bigger yard. So when N8tr0n told me that he thought he could build a composter for aroung $30 I was thrilled. Like, two exclamation points thrilled.

My dad helped N8tr0n build the composter when we visited Idaho for Thanksgiving. It ended up costing a bit more than $30; maybe closer to $50 because dad wasn't about to build some shabby wooden stand. Because that's how he rolls. I'm pretty sure he spent the entire time making it wondering why on Earth I was so excited for this thing. How did he end up raising such a hippie? Where did he go wrong?

Are you interested in composting? Simple Mom has an article about how to build your own compost bin that is even cheaper than this one! Also, the EPA has some handy tips about the basics of composting and what you can and cannot put into your compost.

Let me know if you have any questions and happy composting!


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11 comments:

Staci said...

Posting - regardless of the topic - at 6:30 in the morning?! You're amazing. I think Rachel Ray has a compost bowl on her counter, too.
How'd you get the composter from Idaho to Colorado? Strap it in next to Z cakes in the back seat? I love you guys!

DW said...

I am so totally DOWN with the double exclamation points!!

Listen to this (this is going to blow your MIND!): Our Province implemented a waste reduction policy years ago in order to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill. We have a 3-compartment recycling system (paper, glass/plastic/alum, and juice containers you can return for $) and - get this - a Province-wide compost pick-up. That means that if you live 45 minutes outside of town, in the sticks, a little truck will come along every two weeks and empty your big-a$$ government-issued compost trolley. WAZZAH! Of course, in the summer we use our own compost bin, but in the winter, we just stick it all in the green bin and they take it away. There's a composting facility that takes it all in (meat scraps, bones, cooked food, all of it) and incubates it to make compost. Now, they're trying to create a system where you can go and buy compost from them for your landscaping...

Pretty cool, eh?

paws said...

Very interesting. I shall file this info away for a later date as I'm not sure it's something I want to tackle right now.

BTW, it was SO fun to meet you!

emily said...

That's so cool. I'll just add this to my ever-increasing list of things to do just like you when I'm a real person.

And the necklace is from none other than my Aunt Susan. (Michelle's mom) Do you read her blog? Anyway, the tulle and pearl strands and the flower are all one necklace. The beaded necklace is one that I already had.

Rendy Tucker said...

So funny! My grandparents had a compost pile when I was little and the little bowl that they too kept above their sink was called the "Slop Bucket" because they had previously raised pigs. I think you should use the same endearing name. :)

Tracy said...

I just got one too, although I haven't put it together yet. And in regard to your last post....don't feel bad, I just learned about Vampire Weekend last Nov. :)

Katharina said...

In our currently rented-out Denver yard, there is a compost box. The serious downside to it is that you have to manually dig around and mix up all the hash in there by shovel. Your design totally wins in my book!

Justin and Diana said...

AWESOME!! I would LOVE to have a composter, thanks for the link I am totally going to do that!

michelle said...

Weird. I could have sworn that I already commented on this.

My scintillating comment was going to be that, while I'm not really interested in tackling this, I love your passion.

Emmylou said...

Thank you so much for this post and the link to Simple Mom Mandy! Josh and I have a compost bin, oh wait it is actually a rubber trash can that we keep the lid propped open on. So now I can make it real by drilling a crapload of holes in it. You are probably already ahead of me on this. But composting is one of the reasons why I try to use paper sacks at the grocery store now instead of plastic. I just add them as needed to the compost bin. As you are a real hippie, you probably are even better and use cloth bags though. :) Have a great day! Composting = the earth's best recycling program. I totally dig it!! (notice the double exclamations)

Anonymous said...

Not sure where to post this but I wanted to ask if anyone has heard of National Clicks?

Can someone help me find it?

Overheard some co-workers talking about it all week but didn't have time to ask so I thought I would post it here to see if someone could help me out.

Seems to be getting alot of buzz right now.

Thanks

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