WELCOME to my BLOG

Hi there!

I’m slowly working towards some simplicity within the home, but hey! It’s a lot of hard work!

I love having a go at growing my own veges and always use herbs fresh from my garden. I try to plant from seed whenever I can and have learnt to save and share my own seed for the following year. I make Award Winning preserves and pickles; and my husband brews Award Winning boutique beers as well. I love to stockpile and try to limit quick trips to the shops. I dabble in bread making and enjoy making my own stocks too.

I enjoy feeding my family good hearty meals, nothing like those tiny restaurant stacks you have to look for on the plate. My husband maintains our vehicles and machinery and we both enjoy fabricating on a small scale mostly relying on metal & timber recyclers for any materials needed.


While I don’t always have time to reply to comments, I love reading them. I hope you enjoy your stay and I hope you learn something new because I love sharing what I learn, and I'm always looking for another new skill myself.

Cheers!

Showing posts with label bokashi powder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bokashi powder. Show all posts

Monday, June 27, 2011

Bokashi Powder - Part 3 - final

I recently completed a FREE course run by my local council on how to make your own Bokashi Powder...
I wrote about it here, along with the recipe and details on how to make it...

So first of all, you need to prepare your lactic acid..You will see Part 1 here 

Then to complete the last step in preparing the lactic acid ready for the Bokashi Powder I wrote Part 2 here

I last wrote the following: ...................


now I am waiting for it to seperate, once that happens, I will be on to Part 3.

2. Leave for a few days until the milk protein separates from the water which can be removed from the top.

3. This leaves a creamy yellow water which you can use.

4. To keep, add equal parts of molasses or brown sugar and store in the fridge.

So here goes for the final step....gathering all the ingredients and making the Bokashi Powder

The milk protein separated....but I didn't keep the whey for scones this time...I'm keeping it for the Bokashi Powder.....


Measure the amount of whey liquid you have...and add the same amount of brown sugar or molasses ...and mix well...This is ready now to use in the Bokashi Powder recipe...and also ready to store in the fridge until you need to make more.....
Equal parts of brown sugar and the whey liquid.

Making up the final liquid to add to the dry mix...
Add 2 Litres of rain water or filtered water...(not tap water, as there is too much chlorine)
also 20mls of the Lactic Acid you have made....
and 20mls of the Brown Sugar....It's a bit unclear if this is needed in the recipe, seeing it has already been added to the larger bottle....but I figure it won't hurt.....
Mix it all together..you now have your wet mix ready to move on to the final stage of mixing....



Below:  See the colour of the water in the recycled milk carton at the back....It's changed colour because it is the now ready to add to the dry ingredients.....

Measure your Linseed or Flaxseed....the 1 kg bag I am holding shows what was left after measuring out 1 Litre of the seed.....this bag cost me $5.20 and I needed about 3 and a half bags.....



 Above: Left to Right: A mixing tub..5L of flaxseed (linseed), on the bucket is the wet mixture, then below is the chicken manure....and Wheat Bran....

25kg of Chicken Manure cost me $6.00   (I used about a quarter of this...$1.50)
25kg bag of Wheat Bran cost me $14.00 (I used maybe an eighth of this....$1.75)

Mix in a large tub...the Wheat Bran...the wet mix, the chicken manure, and the linseed.....note how I poured the linseed into the tub, then lined the tub with a plastic bag before measuring out the chicken manure....(manure and food grade containers don't mix in my house)........

 Get helpers in to help mix....don't forget to get into the corners.....due to the manure in the mix...wear gloves if your going to use your hands......Thanks for helping DS16...I love ya!


After mixing it really well.....then mixing it some more.....bag it up.....removing as much air as possible....Remember this works on the anaerobic principles.
The final price I have worked out to be $24.25.....Now the middle bag in the top row; is a reused 5kg Bokashi bag from Bunnings which cost me $17.00.....I reckon I have about $95 dollars worth of Bokashi Powder there....

So for all the people who are asking if it is worth it.....You betcha it's worth it....What a huge savings.
Plus; I don't feel like I need to scrimp when adding the powder to my food scraps now....... 

Once bagged up....you need to let it ferment ....so wrap the bags in a black plastic  bag....and place in a cool dark place..In about 2 weeks or so...check on the mix by just moving the tub...If it has started fermenting...you will smell it...It is not an offensive smell....rather sweet really....


The total price:

Rice: not added as after soaking and rinsing the rice....I cooked it for tea that night.....I only needed the rinsing water for the Bokashi recipe.
Water: nil
Wheat Bran: .50 cents
Milk: 3 cups or 750mls $2.00
Flaxseed: $18.50

Chicken Manure $1.50
Wheat Bran $1.75


Total Price:   $24.25.....a savings of over $70.00

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Bokashi Powder - Part 2

Welcome Brian and Rebecca, I always like to see new people reading my blog....I hope you will stick around and find some inspiration while your here to try some of the things I get up to.Don't forget to leave some comments, I sure do appreciate them.
Sometimes it takes me a while to get to welcoming people or answering comments; but I get to it eventually..
So Welcome!




I recently completed a FREE course run by my local council on how to make your own Bokashi Powder...
I wrote about it here, along with the recipe and details on how to make it...

So first of all, you need to prepare your lactic acid..You will see Part 1 here 

In Part 1, I wrote the following:
Remove floating bran or wheat. The Remaining Liquid is the LACTIC ACID. 
So once the bran floats to the surface, I will strain this and keep the liquid for the next stage in making my own Bokashi Powder.
So you will need to check back in to see the different stages as I do them.Here I have completed the last step to making the Lactic Acid...

So the bran is floating now....Most of it floated, but it also started to sink again, so I guess maybe I could have used less bran. So I have strained all the  bran from the rice liquor.....



To use lactic acid in Bokashi preparation: 
1. Mix one part lactic acid to two parts milk.

I had 1 1/2 cups of lactic acid liquid after straining it, so I added 3 cups of milk.

I've now washed out the original Vacola bottle..and poured in the milk mix.


now I am waiting for it to seperate, once that happens, I will be on to Part 3.

2. Leave for a few days until the milk protein separates from the water which can be removed from the top.

3. This leaves a creamy yellow water which you can use.

4. To keep, add equal parts of molasses or brown sugar and store in the fridge.



Sunday, June 19, 2011

Bokashi Powder - Part 1

I recently completed a FREE course run by my local council on how to make your own Bokashi Powder...
I wrote about it here, along with the recipe and details on how to make it...

So first of all, you need to prepare your lactic acid...this is very easy..


HOW TO OBTAIN LACTIC ACID 
  • 2 cups of White Rice
  • Wheat Bran 
  • Water
1. Let water that has come from rinsing white rice (homebrand) sit for 5 days until it smells sour.



2. Mix some rice bran or wheat bran with the sour water and leave to float to the surface.

adding wheat bran to the rice water
before stirring

Now to wait for the bran to float

3. Remove floating bran or wheat. The Remaining Liquid is the LACTIC ACID. 
So once the bran floats to the surface, I will strain this and keep the liquid for the next stage in making my own Bokashi Powder.
So you will need to check back in to see the different stages as I do them.

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