Kitchen Scraps

A large family equals a large amount of trash.  A large amount of it is recyclable, some is just trash and some would normally be compostable.  However, we have a problem with composting.  We live in the mountains where our next door neighbors are just as likely to be  bears, mountain lions and raccoons as it is the Jones or Smith family.  Hence, (although some do) we have chosen not to compost at this time.

Actually, we are very careful with our trash.  The large trash bin is bear resistant.  I say resistant because let's face it not much is bear proof if they really want it.  Bears are only an issue for part of the year, but mountain lions are an issue all year.  As a result, we can't just sit our smelly kitchen scraps out in the large bin as it would likely draw the attention of our wild neighbors.  In the past, we have done all sorts of things to keep our kitchen scraps from smelling up the house or garage while awaiting the weekly pick-up service including freezing them after each meal and then tossing them in on the morning of the collection.

I am pleased to now announce that we are finally able to "compost" those scraps.  We feed them to our chickens who will eat almost anything (if you need a laugh toss a wiener into the chicken yard and watch the girls go crazy) and then they turn them into eggs for our family to consume and chicken manure which combines with our pine shavings (deep litter method) for some really great compost material for next year's garden.

Now, when our meals are over and we have kitchen scraps they go directly into the SEALABLE bowl on the kitchen island for delivery to the girls the next morning.  The girls look so forward to it that they meet me at the gate every morning.  I'm actually starting to feel a bit guilty when the kids eat all of the food and don't leave anything for the hens.