by Wonder Worman | Aug 6, 2011 | Sidetracks
So happy to share the news! My sweet friend, Kristin Davis, is running her own baking company, Spin Kitchen. After a few years of battling food issues, she decided to get down to business and find out what was going on inside her body! She recently had some serious tests done and discovered she had to make a change with her menu. Not happy with the food alternatives in the stores, she ventured out, bought some cookbooks and began baking delicious goods. Her goods are free of a lot of “stuff”…. gluten free and dairy free are on the top of the list. There’s nothing artificial, and I can pronounce the ingredients! (lol) I am so lucky to be her friend because I get to taste test a lot of the baked goods! I love that Kristin tweaks the recipes and adds her own twist. She’s not afraid to try something different and is always open to suggestions! I am so happy for her! She will rock the Bend baking scene!
She also has a Wonder Worman Worm bin filled with wigglers! Of course these wigglers will be munching on her fruit and veggie scraps. Oh to be a worm in a test kitchen!
by Wonder Worman | Jan 24, 2011 | Red Wiggler World
See the white specks on the decomposing leaf? They are mites. Mites are part of the decomposition cycle and are also members of a worm bin, too. They will not harm the Red Wigglers as long as there isn’t an explosion in their population. Mites feed on decaying matter and are usually found on the surface but may go deeper depending on where the food is located.
Cause: Typically an explosion is a result of too much food and possibly too much moisture. This usually occurs on the surface where the food scraps are placed. If there is an explosion in the mite population, the Red Wigglers will avoid the food and move to another area in the bin. I usually see an explosion of mites when I put in too many cantaloupe rinds. The Red Wigglers can’t handle the amount of scraps and the mites take over. If that happens, then the Red Wigglers will not be able to get the food and may starve.
Treatment: If there are too many mites in your bin, then you’ll want to make some changes. I suggest doing one or maybe all of these ideas.
1) Remove the food source where the explosion is occurring. Usually it will be covered in mites to the point where you can barely see the food. I would toss it into your yard or bury it.
2) Remove the top few inches of bedding. Sometimes the mites are covering the top of the bedding.
3) Leave the bin open and expose it to light. This will help dry out the surface. Mites do not like a dry area. The sun light will also help to control the mite’s population.
4) Add some dry newspaper to absorb the excess moisture.
5) Stop feeding for a week. Freeze any food scraps that you are producing in the meantime.
Happy Wormin’
by Wonder Worman | Dec 7, 2010 | Less in the Landfill, Out and About
I’m sorry. This is not a very good picture. Most of you are probably wondering why I even included this in my post since it is such a bad picture. Well let me explain, and then I’ll get to the “meat” of the post. Here goes. I just have trouble blogging if I can’t add a picture. In my opinion, there’s something about reading a post with pictures. When I read a post from other bloggers and there are pictures included, I scan those first to see what I’m going to be reading. It brings the post to life, and it’s a way for me to relate to the writer. Blog posts are like short stories and some are similar to children’s picture books, connecting the pictures to the story. Another tidbit of info for you, I am also a visual learner and therefore project that into my posts assuming my readers are too! Are you? Hope so! So on to the reason for this post!
This picture is so vague! I could be writing about the car, the lampost, or the building. I am not the best picture taker…photographer..(photographer sounds so professional). Any way, I took this picture in July and the purpose was to remember the name of the building, Discovery Park so I could call them and set up a meeting. Discovery Park, as it is mentioned on it’s website, is a senior (58-80ish year old), affordable housing community. Last July, I had the opportunity to speak to the residents and share my interest in vermicomposting. We chatted about the food scraps and the benefits of composting. The residents were wonderful and fun! One in particular, Suzy, was really interested in the process. She and I talked for a bit after the meeting and set up a time for me to collect her food scraps. I have been collecting her food waste for 5 months, and she also got her neighbor to jump aboard! So I visit Discovery Park Lodge once a week and my worms get some extra treats.
Weekly collections have truned into weekly visits. It’s human nature. As time goes on, relationships evolve. In my mind, she is no longer the “lady I have to get food scraps from”. She is Suzy, a friend I need to visit.
by Wonder Worman | Oct 21, 2010 | Red Wiggler World, Worman Cooks
Holy Moly! I chowed this delicious acorn squash in, uh…., under a minute. More like 20 seconds, seriously. I had this amazingly tasty veggie all to myself. The kids were at school, and my hubby is on a mini vacay! Glad they weren’t here to witness my slurping and totally awful manners!
This super veggie is loaded with bazillion amounts of Vitamin A which is super awesome for your skin. Today, I cooked it in the oven at 400 with about a cup of water in the dish. After 30 min, it was soft and ready to be inhaled. Before the feast, I doused it with 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. In the past, I have added butter and some maple syrup. Today, I skipped out on that stuff. It would have taken too much time to get all that out, and I was starving.
So now these scraps will be on their way to the wiggler bins. Just giving them a tidbit, a little teaser because in the next few weeks, they will be enjoying huge amounts of pumpkins and gords!
by Wonder Worman | Oct 12, 2010 | Red Wiggler World, Worman Cooks
Last night, Carlos and the kids made artichokes stuffed with Italian bread, garlic, parm cheese, parsley, oregano and some vegetable oil. We devoured the delicious goodness! Can’t you tell by the picture!
As I was pigging out, I couldn’t wait to share my scraps with the Red Wigglers. My buddy Kristi makes these often because her sweet daughter LOVES them. I find them often in the Neighborhood Community Bin for the Red Wigglers.
The Red Wigglers love them, and I wrote about them in April of 2009 after my first time feeding them. The post was short and sweet, but this is what it said…
Hey, guess what??? Worms love artichokes! Rotten ones and eaten artichoke skins (I think that’s what they are).
They were all over them this afternoon! Yipee! cause I love them toooooo!
I fed a few of the wigglers last night and will make my way out to the larger bins this afternoon. I’ll sprinkle a layer on top and give them a yummy treat. So next time you have some artichokes, feed the scraps to the wigglers. I didn’t rinse mine to remove any of the stuffing, not there was a lot left after I got through with them.
What I’m trying to say is…Don’t worry if there are remnants of stuffing. Go ahead and feed them to the Red Wigglers. A little bit won’t hurt them. Everything in moderation!
