Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
fermentingliquid.VinnyPintogoesintoalotofdetailonthisin his topic
FermentationwithSyn-
tropic Antioxidative Microbes
.
• AEMandEMhaveavarietyofotherusesbesidesbokashicomposting,suchaslivestockfeedand
water additives, odor suppression, and foliar and soil sprays. These topics are beyond the scope
ofthis topic,butthereisalotofinformationoutthereaboutthedifferentusesforEMandAEM.I
wouldsuggesttheinformationSCDProbioticsandTeraGanixhaveontheirwebsite;VinnyPinto
has also done some great research that is worth reading.
Can EM1 be cultured out more than one generation of AEM?
Short answer: No. As the microbes are cultured out they start to multiply and grow. Over time their
ratios will shift away from the original ratio in the EM1. This will result in a culture that doesn't
havethesamemicrobialmakeuporpropertiesasEM1orAEM,givingyouamixtureofunknowns.
When you are trying to achieve a desired end product and specific results, you have no control if
your culture is a random, unbalanced mixture of microbes.
Should I use wheat bran or another bran?
Wheat bran is an industrial by-product from the flour-making industry, so it is commonly found in
most places around the US (and the world) and is sold in convenient quantities. Smaller quantities
can be found in most grocery store aisles and bulk food sections, and large quantities can be pur-
chased at feed stores, where wheat bran is typically sold in 50-pound bags. If you are just starting
out,Iwouldsuggeststartingwithasmallquantityofbran.Afteryouhaveperfectedtheprocessand
hopefully want to make more, then you can scale up.
Andrememberyoudon'thavetousewheatbran;othercarbonsourcesworkasasubstrate.Rice
bran is another suitable substrate, but it is often more expensive and harder to come by for most
people in the US. Many Asian countries utilize rice bran in their bokashi because it is locally and
cheaply available as a surplus by-product. I have heard of people using sawdust and wood shavings
intheirbokashibran,butIwouldshyawayfromthat—youdon'twanttointroducesomethingthat
high in carbon into your garden soil on a regular basis. Two sources of readily available substrate
that you can use are coffee grounds and newspaper. Neither are my preferred ingredient of choice
for a variety of reasons, but both seem to work OK.
Ioccasionally make bokashi bran out ofspent coffee grounds,more forexperimental than prac-
tical purposes. Wheat bran is just easier to work with and is already cheap enough. Also, coffee
grounds are a bit tricky to work with if they are wet because you have to estimate their moisture
content. Ideally I am looking for around 50 percent moisture, but most of the coffee grounds I col-
lect are wetter than that, so I have to add wheat bran or rice bran to soak up the excess liquid. Once
the moisture content is optimal, I then add EM1 and blackstrap molasses, in the same ratios I use
for wheat bran. I mix those in with the coffee grounds and add water if needed, then seal the bag up
and let it ferment for at least two weeks.
These batches seem to turn out all right. They don't have the same sweet, sour, fermented smell
that wheat bran has; the odor is dominated by the coffee. In terms of fermenting performance, the
fermentedcoffeegroundshandlethekitchenwasteproperlyandthefinalbokashipre-compostturns
out fine. So coffee grounds appear to be a viable alternative, and if you have an unlimited supply
of them, it would probably be worth perfecting the process. Another option is to cut your wheat
