It has been more than two weeks and my Reds are still happily wriggling. There were no stench and instead there was a faint earthy smell to the bin. So far so good. I was feeding them minced potato peels, squash peels and carrot peels. I avoided fruit peels after my colony was invaded by ants the first week I set them up.Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng’s disastrous aftermath, prompted me to seriously think about the effects our trash has on the environment. In the old days, floods were few and far in between. But with the invention of plastic bags, I hear and see floods happening all over the world, not just in the Philippines. Like a coronary blockage, the build up caused an attack and now the recovery process is slow and painful.
I believe Solid Waste Management is the key. Reduce, Re-use, Recycle. This should be our mantra and home is where we should start. I heard about Prof. Marlon Era, of DLSU’s Behavioral Science Dept., who studied Solid Waste Management on Morning’s at ANC TV show. He discussed waste segregation, waste reduction and recycling. He showed how easy it is to start at home. He got some plastic bins (recycled of course), and labelled them - Paper - Tins/Plastics - Bottles - Food Waste - Residuals (walang pakinabang). Then he asked the cooperation of all the members of the family to help out. After a couple of days or weeks, he would sell the papers, tins and bottles which provided them extra money for extra treats. Food wastes and kitchen scraps he composted and what’s left were the residuals that was so much less than before. Imagine if every household does this, less trash would be thrown into the environment.
Then I remembered Vermicomposting, which I first saw during the heydays of the weekend markets in Makati. These worms, called Red Wrigglers, eat kitchen scraps, digest them and poops them out as organic fertilizer. I call them Miracle Workers.
I’m not really fond of wriggly, slimy things but when I decided to start composting at home, I thought of vermicomposting. I read, on the internet, that they’re easy to manage and they don’t smell compared to regular composting. In fact, they should smell earthy.
I bought my very first tray of Red Wrigglers from Earthworm Sanctuary, at the Agri-Link Expo, for 100 pesos. I should have approximately 50 Red Wrigglers, according to the sales lady, to start as an experiment. It came in a small plastic microwaveable tray with holes on top. Since I wanted to propagate them, I decided to transfer them to a bigger tray that measured 8x8 with holes all over for ventilation with damp hand-torn newspaper, sprinkled with used coffee grounds as bedding.
Day 1 - I fed them chopped banana peel and that was a mistake. Ants came crawling all over the colony tray in less than a day. I quickly came up with a makeshift stilt by placing the colony tray on top of the tray they came in with which I inverted over a water filled tray creating a moat like structure. No more ants attacked, but the existing ones in the tray stayed. Lesson #1 - Do not feed fruits unless the area’s ants-free. Vegetable peels better.
Day 3 - I decided to transplant my colony, again, to their new home sans ants. Red Wrigglers are night creatures and they prefer to burrow. I discovered, while migrating them, that damp hand-torn newspaper compacted compared to shredded newspaper which formed spaces. I found my Reds (which they will be known hence forth) clustered in the middle of the tray. I successfully migrated my Reds and counted approximately 30 wriggly worms with 2 dead. Lesson #2 - Shredded newspaper’s better than hand torn newspaper as bedding. Provides better aeration and space for Reds to burrow.
Day 6 - My family treat my Reds as my pets. They’ve learned to set aside food waste, minus bones and fats, for my Reds to feed on. I’ve been eating more vegetables now because I’m thinking my vegetable peels will be my Reds next meal. Lesson #3 - Get the family involved. Lesson #4 - Consider vegetarianism. It’s healthier too.
Maybe, my Reds are one of the solution to our environmental problems. Our country needs to address our trash problem as early as now before another Ondoy or Pepeng unleashed their fury.
Tips, comments and suggestions most welcome.
Earthworm Sanctuary
La Mesa Ecopark
Fairview, QC
Tel: 931 2617
Mobile: 0922 8961996
Using one basic recipe, I made several variations and came up with one that I called Caramel Cupcakes. By substituting granulated sugar with muscovado sugar, the batter smelled caramelly and when baked the cupcakes tasted like caramel cake. I used one ounce cupcake mold and one ounce ice cream scoop to make equal distributions. Let me know how yours turned out.
The last time I baked bread was when I attended a special course on baking at the Asian Baking Institute under Chef Bejar. As a special student, I got to choose the time and date when I would take the class on a one-on-one basis. With all the ingredients and equipments at my disposal, my pandesals were perfectly soft, my loaf breads crusty on the outside and soft on the inside and my hopia squares were to-die-for, not to mention my enseymadas, spanish breads and cheese rolls.
I remember when Guernica used to be located near the Remedios Circle. It was a special treat when I was invited to dine with the adults then. I would watch in awe everytime the waiter prepared the Ceasar's Salad by the table, rubbing the garlic along the inside of the wooden bowl, mashing the anchovies, separating the eggs and slowly pouring in the oil to the yolk while beating. He then tossed in the greens, coating each leaf with the dressing and finally, a sprinkle of bacon bits, cheese and croutons to crown the "Ceasar".
I remembered having the gambas and the mushrooms as appetizers but the Paellas and Ceasar's Salad would alway be my favorite.
