Vermicomposting 101

Hey guys, I’m currently making an attempt at beginning an urban garden. I live in a rather conservative Californian suburb– where the population is both extremely wealthy and extremely Asian. Let me explain what that means: first, wealthy means that people are used to just buying and throwing things away and Asian, means we’re both very cheap but also generally don’t care about their environmental impact on society– other things come first.

Anyways, this means people don’t actually know about the impacts of maintaining their huge backyards. I’m not a real expert on soil degradation policy (I’m focusing on agricultural and food policy) but I will explain why I compost.

Vermicomposting is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. 25% of landfills is food waste and the average American Family disposes of 200 lbs of just food scrap a year that is treated with other waste contributing to urban sludge mostly because we throw away food with other non-biodegradable stuff. Likewise, it’s amazing to me that 14 – 15% of edible food is thrown to waste– an amount equaling $43 billion (Univ of Arizona). This scrap goes to land fills but why not right back into your garden?

VERMICOMPOSTING. WHAT? HOW?

Composting requires essentially little money. A little investment is needed to buy the worms (if you’re using worms) but otherwise, it’s pretty darn cheap. I would love to buy a $200 vermicompost bin but that’s just ridiculous.

I use a large plastic box with a lid, and opaque– drilled about 10 small holes on the bottom and like, 4 along the sides and that’s it! It was like $8 from target (probably less).

Dump in some soggy newspaper, some dirt to get it started, and food scrap. I put like 3:1:1 ratio of (soggy, wrung out, shredded) newspaper to food material to soil. Then a ton of wormies.

Worms are usually about $25/lb, if you’re buying online. I think Lowe’s may have some at the same price (not Home Depot) but I just bought like 4 little cups of $5 red wrigglers that are super-cute at Petsmart (and one cup of 12 nightcrawlers which are the hugest worms I have ever seen in my life but are probably more efficient– Liz below says that mixing varieties is a no-no so I think red wrigglers are just as efficient). Just dump them in there and watch them dig themselves back under all that crap because they are pissed at you for exposing them to the light.

You’ll want to turn the pile every few days or so– just mix it up.

I’m pretty sure vermicomposting is so much more easier than just composting. I’m impatient and bother my poor worms nearly everyday, mixing them up, and have them wriggle back inside. It’s really nice to actually be able to see results. I like having had put mango skins in the pile and a week later, it be gone but that’s mostly because I’m as easily amused as a toddler.

Better yet, you can actually keep them inside! Yeah, these babies won’t escape. So if you’re living in a cramped, NY apartment, no worries because it doesn’t smell – that belief is a STINKING lie (get it?). The only issue you might get is those tiny little flies that somehow make their way into the bin and if you’re an outdoor composting like me, a couple pincher bugs/earwigs. I think the flies can be avoided by covering the food with a bit of soil.

After a while, there will be little food-waste– then you’re ready to harvest BLACK GOLD aka worm poop. You should harvest every few months because too much poop is poisonous to your little friends. There are a few methods:
1. dump them on a shower curtain and use your hands to sift out the worms (uh, if it was just red wrigglers, I’m fine but those night crawlers are so freaking scary).
2. dump them on a shower curtain and make little mounds. wait 10 minutes. scoop the tops off the mounds. worms will have wriggled to the bottom all sad because it’s too bright.
3. move everything to one side of the bin. start a new ‘compost’– newspaper, food scraps, etc.– on the other side. wait a day or two. all the worms will be like, “hey food, ok” and leave the useless side.

There are No-Nos to Composting:
- meat
- poop, in general (except, perhaps, cow dung)
- citrus skins
- too much banana
- chemically treated things
- colored newspaper (try to stay away)
- greasy things

GOOD LUCK!

Beef Stir-Fry with Broccoli and Eggplant

I dog-sat for my boyfriend’s parents this weekend. Awesome, in the sense that three ginormous weimaraners are allowed all over the furniture (Aki, my blue girl, came by and helped and even got to sleep on his queen-sized bed with me for a night) but meh because one of the weims gets separation anxiety and before I leave, I have to put them away and everything and calbear sits on me at 6AM to make me feed him (even though he gets fed at 7!)

With limited supplies and time (finals to study for), I needed to make something quick, fresh, and healthy. I did a quick stir-fry. Pretty easy, no? Well, it really is. Broccoli is so good and I had some leftovers from the frittata and I love eggplant. When I was little, my parents would eat sea cucumber (we’re asian) and I never liked the texture– it’s slimey, crunchy, and just weird. In my brain, I somehow thought eggplant was sea cucumber and I never ate it. However, the first time I really started cooking, I cooked Italian and Lidia Bastianich (host of Lidia’s Italy) made such wonderful dishes with eggplant (which compelled me to finally try eggplant parm).

Anyways, so yes…eggplant.

we have a love-hate relationship-- hate here, as he sits on the top of the stairs looking down at me as usual like he be alpha.

Beef Stir-Fry with Broccoli and Eggplant
3/4 oz. Stir-Fry beef, Sirloin beef tips, cut against the grain or firm Tofu (you vegetarians, you!)
2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp corn starch
s/p
1 head broccoli, cleaned, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed, minced
1 small eggplant or 1/2 a large globe eggplant, chopped
1/3 c. water
1 green onion chopped,  some reserved for garnish
(1/2 tsp garlic-chili sauce)

In a small bowl, mix up the beef and cornstarch. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat.

In a wok (or a well-oiled, deep frying pan), heat up the vegetable oil over medium-high to high heat. The idea behind stir-frying is pretty much heat it over very, very high heat, very quickly. You can’t reach the same temperatures as in an actual restaurant but we want to duplicate it as much as possible. Stir-fry beef until just cooked– about a minute. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add another tablespoon of vegetable oil if needed and stir-fry garlic, broccoli and eggplant for about 2 to 3 minutes until garlic is just starting to become colored. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, (and garlic-chili if you decided to use it) and water and stir. Bring to a boil and return meat into the wok. Cook until the sauce is thickened and eggplant is soft. Add green onion and toss for a minute. Serve over fresh brown rice and garnish with more green onion, cilantro, and/or sesame seeds.

Broccoli and Cheddar Frittata

This weekend, I ordered a take-out box of “fish” from a Chinese Restaurant. Usually, I’m not one to get ‘fake-meat’ but the restaurant does such a great job of it. They’ve somehow textured the tofu so that it would be similar to the flakiness of fish. I would eat it regardless of meatless Monday or not and I’m so lucky that there were tons of leftovers (huge box). I’m pretty sure it’s heaven in a box for vegetarians.

In other news, I made a frittata this Monday with lots of yummy cheddar, fiber-rich broccoli and high-protein eggs for vegetarians that generally hate soy. (I generally dislike soy)

Vegetarian "Fish": photo does not do this dish justice

Broccoli and Cheddar Frittata
1 broccoli floret, chopped, large stem discared
1/3 c. onions (about 1/2 small onion) diced
8 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 – 1.5 c. sharp cheddar, grated with more for garnish
1/2 tsp garlic powder
s/p to taste
makes a 10-inch frittata

Preheat oven to 375F.

Beat the eggs, add milk, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cut up your veggies and saute them in a little olive oil over medium-high heat. If needed, add a little water, cover, and steam your broccoli so they’re nice and green– otherwise, after the veggies are softened (4 – 5 mins), reduce heat to medium-low and add the eggs. Cook until eggs just begin to solidify and add your cheese. Stir sparingly but try and keep the concoction smooth. Before the eggs have completely set– still gooey and watery in the center, smooth it out and pop it in the oven for 10 minutes. Before done completely, raise heat to 400F, broil, and brown.

Serve with tomato or bacon slices. You know I wanted to.

Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash stuffed with Quinoa

I’ve done it. I’ve made the best recipe for Quinoa ever. The stuffing is so good that I’ve eaten about half a cup plain. This is a recipe with many parts so it will take some time to complete and look forward to a messy kitchen. I got the idea for acorn squash from Food Wishes– but I’m not a huge fan of sweets (I know right?) so I wanted to add some sort of stuffing that balances the caramelized sweetness from the glaze. I think the combination of sweet and savory really did it.

A lot of people have never heard of quinoa and I don’t blame them– it’s not readily stocked in supermarkets so if you have a specialty store near you, definitely give it a try. Quinoa is a seed of the Quecha (idk) plant much like how rice is the seed of a rice..plant? Anyways, I like to say that it’s the couscous of the grain/seed group– but I don’t particularly like couscous as much as I like quinoa. Quinoa has that slight “crunch” like brown rice has a slight bite– a completely different texture than couscous (which is a pasta). It’s also extraordinarily good for you (and gluten-free as far as I know). You know how white rice essentially has no nutrition for you? Well quinoa has a good amount of the amino acids needed for humans therefore, a really high protein content (especially for a grain) making it a popular choice for vegans and vegetarians.

Quinoa Stuffing:

1 c. quinoa cooked with 2 c. water or stock (I used 1 c. water, 1c. chicken stock)
1/4 c. each minced onion and yellow bell pepper
1/2 – 3/4 c. diced eggplant, placed in a bowl over a paper towel and tossed with lots of salt
1 medium ear’s worth of fresh sweet corn removed from cob
2 tablespoons garlic
3 – 4 tbsp apple juice
1 green onion chopped, green and whites
4 – 5 large, fresh basil leaves, chopped
olive oil
s/p

Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash
2 acorn squash, cut in half (be careful)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp butter
1 heaping tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp apple juice for each half
sprinkling of freshly ground pepper

Begin prepping your quinoa ingredients– chopping everything up. Then, bring the quinoa and liquid to a boil in a small pot, cover and bring down to a simmer. Simmer until quinoa has “blossomed” and white rings are visible  and is fluffy. ( I burned the bottom a little but it was still good).  When it is done, fluff it with a fork and add some apple juice for fragrance.

While the quinoa is cooking, preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the acorn squash in half– be careful, I nearly gutted my stomach like, twice. Clear out the seeds with a spoon or your hands and cut criss-cut slashes through the flesh. Brush each with some apple juice. Place skin side up and bake for 20 – 30 minutes. While baking, make the glaze. Cook the maple syrup, butter, and brown sugar into a small skillet– it will boil and froth, keep stirring for a few minutes until it’s syrupy, season with pepper. Remove the squash and divide the glaze among the halves, brushing the syrup into and around the slashes. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until soft and glaze has reduced a bit, taking the squash out every 10 minutes to reglaze.

Find time between this somehow (haha), and over medium-high heat, cook the onions, bell peppers, drained eggplant, and corn in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Cook until onions have softened considerably. Add garlic and saute until fragrant and cooked through. Add basil and saute. I usually don’t add any more salt because the eggplants are pretty salty.

Mix the quinoa, vegetable mixture and green onions together, season to taste, and mound into the squash.