by Wonder Worman | Feb 3, 2011 | Worman Cooks
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2.5lbs of Chuck
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Mixture of flour, pepper and salt
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Bacon grease in the pan
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I seared the meat on all sides
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Carrots, celery and onions in the crock pot
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This is good stuff!
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Really awesome crock pot! Don’t look at the smudges!
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Carrot peels and celery ends are off to feed the Red Wigglers!
Yesterday, I made pot roast in The Original Slow Cooker…Crock Pot. Carlos bought this for us 2 years ago. Unfortunately, I don’t use it that often maybe 4 or 5 times a year. The recipe booklet it came with is limited so I need to explore some others. That may be why I don’t use it that often because other than the limited recipes, the pot is AWESOME. Using a crock pot is sooo easy. Just throw everything in, set it to low, let it cook for 8-10 hours, and you’re done! If that’s too much time, you can blast it on high for 4-6 hours!
This recipe is taken directly from the booklet. I modified it a bit because my kids don’t like the potatoes cooked this way and would prefer them mashed! I need to clarify that: Max loves them and Little a not so much!
So here goes:
2-4 pound beef chuck roast
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper
3 carrots, sliced
3 potatoes, quartered (I left this out and saved them for mashed potatoes)
3 onions, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 cup mushrooms (I omitted this…kids hate mushrooms..I kinda do)
1 cup beef broth (I didn’t have any so I used chicken broth)
This part is so cool because it’s SO FAST and SOOOO EASY…I love fast and easy! lol
1. Coat roast with the flour, salt and pepper. Sear roast in a pan on the stove. They say this is optional, but I do this to seal in the flavors and make the meat moist! This is funny! I cooked bacon this morning and left some of the grease in the pan, hoping it will make the meat more flavorful :^)
2. Place all veggies in the crock, except the mushrooms. Add the roast and spread the mushrooms on top. Pour in broth.
3. Cover and cook on Low for 10-12 hours or on High for 6-8 hours, or until tender.
There aren’t a lot of scraps for the Red Wigglers, but they’ll be happy with the carrot peels!
by Wonder Worman | Feb 1, 2011 | Red Wiggler World
I love the fact that Red Wigglers munch on toilet paper rolls! They can eat many non food items like coffe filters, coffee grounds, egg shells, shredded moist newspaper, shredded moist computer paper, tea bags, paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls. The paper products provide the carbon which the Red Wigglers need in order to survive in the worm bin. “Out in the wild” the decaying leaves and plants will provide the carbon. Since I am controlling the Red Wigglers environment, it is important for me to balance the amount of browns and greens that the worms are eating. When these non food items are in the worm bin, I will usually find the Red Wigglers in and around the toilet paper rolls. I do get a kick out of finding them nestled in between the rolls. It must be cozy and secluded…a place to nuzzle with each other. Maybe they need to find that special place “to get the job done”. hmmm? Yes? No? Maybe So?
I just put a roll in this morning and will take some pictures to show you how cute they look all snuggled together! First, I am going to let them get settled in and comfy.
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 | Jan 19, 2011 | Red Wiggler World
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This looks icky to us, but the worms will eat this even though it is a citrus fruit!
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Fuzzy, wuzzy, moldy, woldy, strawberry
These moldy fruits look very nasty and if eaten could make you feel pretty nasty, too! Mold springs up in damp places like your basement, bathroom and even on your food. These spores are airborne and find that perfect, damp place to multiply. In the case of composting, they like to feed on the decaying food scraps. The strawberry and ortaniques above are infested with different forms of mold. When you find moldy fruits and veggies in your fridge or on your counter top, you can feed these to your Red Wigglers. Normally, I don’t feed my Red Wigglers copious amounts of citrus fruits. When the fruits develop mold, the wigglers with eat the fruit. The mold must change the chemical make up of the fruit…acidic to sweetic! lol… I have seen a lot of Red Wigglers all over lemons and oranges once the mold has set in!
If you have mold developing in your bin (on the top layer of the composting food),there could be a few things going on in the bin….
1) You could be feeding your worms too much and may need to back off until they have eaten what is left. In the meantime, freeze any scraps that you are producing.
2) Your bin could be to wet so add more shredded newspaper.
3) Bury the food so new air borne spores won’t attack the food.
4) Remove the moldy food if there is a nasty smell…..You’ll know…blah!
There really isn’t a threat to they worms, but may bother people with mold allergies. Mold is another decomposer that is present in the decomposition cycle.
by Wonder Worman | Jan 18, 2011 | Red Wiggler World
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A fruit fly has red eyes and it’s body is a yellow orange color.
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Adult fungus gnat is black and smaller than a fruit fly
Both the fruit fly and fungus gnat are rather annoying to me, and unfortunately they are part of the composting system. They are attracted to decomposing and rotting food. So if you are composting with or without worms, you are going to attract these creatures. The upside to these winged creatures is their short life span. Many sites claim they live for a day to a week depending on the temperature and the availability of food. They do reproduce quickly if food is around for them to feast on so it may seem that they live forever. Also, the warmer the weather, the longer the life span and the more they reproduce. The opposite is true for the cooler weather.
Sign: The mantra buzzing around is “Everything in moderation”. This is true for the fruit fly and fungus gnat. You don’t want a herd of these creatures. For example, if you were to open the bin and a swarm rushes out to you and tries to get up your nose and in your mouth, then things need to change in the bin. They are just giving you a sign that you are producing more food scraps than the wigglers can handle. So the decomposing food is very appealing to the wigged creatures, and they will begin to lay their eggs in the food and the wet bedding. A swarm like this will deter your wigglers from coming to the surface to feed on the food scraps.
Solution: There are a few things you can do to rid yourself of a majority of these guys. Once again a few won’t harm your wigglers. and are actually speeding up the composting process. They are more of a nuisance to us, but if you have a swarm try one or all of these methods.
– stop feeding for a week or until the wigglers consume what is left in the bin. In the meantime, the scraps that you are producing can be stored in the freezer.
– burry the food scraps in the bedding so the flies can’t get to them.
– cover the bedding with extra sheets of newspaper.
– add some peat moss, or shredded paper to absorb any extra moisture.
– put the bin outside, over night ,exposed to cooler temperatures.
– buy fly paper
– put some fruit juice with a bit of soap in a bottle. The flies will go in and die….so sorry
Happy wormin’
Here’s where I got some info on the fruit fly and the fungus gnat.
