Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The 12-pound batch process described above is a convenient size for me because the finished
bran can easily fit into a five-gallon bucket and will last me a few months. But the process can
easily be scaled up or down using the ratios and examples in the chart below.
Unit Conversions
128 oz = 1 gallon = 16 cups = 3.8 l
8 oz = 1 cup = 236 ml
1 oz = 29.5 ml
1 Tbsp = 3 tsp = 0.5 oz
1 lb = 0.45 kg
Can activated EM (AEM) be substituted for EM mother culture?
Yes — if you make a high-quality AEM, then you can use that to inoculate your bokashi bran. This
allows you to further extend your EM mother culture, making it even more economical. I have fer-
mentedside-by-sidebatchesofbokashibranusingAEMandEMmotherculture,andbothappeared
to turn out the exact same. If there is a difference between the two, then it is beyond what I can
detect.
Byactivating theEM1,youaretakingthestockculture andculturing itoutonegeneration. You
provide food and the proper conditions for the microbes to multiply. This allows you to take a little
EM1 and turn it into a much greater quantity of activated EM, which you can then use.
ActivatingEMmothercultureisafairlysimpleandstraightforwardprocess.Eachmanufacturer
and retailer will provide you with its own set of instructions, but the processes are all pretty much
thesame.Alotofmanufacturersrecommenda1:1:20ratioofEM1toblackstrapmolassestowater.
I typically use a 1.5:1:20 ratio, because I think the extra EM1 makes for a stronger culture that gets
down to a lower pH faster. EM1 is pretty cheap, so I don't see cost as a prohibitive issue for using
more EM1 than less. To make 1 gallon of AEM, my ratio works out to 9 ounces of EM1, 6 ounces
of blackstrap molasses, and 128 ounces of water. If I want this to fit into a one-gallon bucket, I just
cut back on the amount of water by 15 ounces. This increases the more favorable side of the ratio
(EM1 and blackstrap molasses), so in my opinion there isn't any harm in it.
Mostpeoplewon'twanttomakeawholegallonofAEMatonetime,soamoreconvenientsize
is one quart, using the ratio 2.25 ounces EM1 and 1.5 ounces of molasses to 28 ounces of water.
The recipe to activate EM1 using those ingredients is as follows:
