Bokashi Composter Confort

The Bokashi Confort kit contains everything you need to get started:

• 1 bucket holding 3.7 gallons (14 liters), or 2 with the bundle, each with its own drainage grate and spigot;
• 1 compactor, which hooks onto a holder on the back of the bucket;
• 1 measuring scoop, 0.7 fl oz (20 ml);
• 1 bag of 2.2 lb (1 kg) of Bokashi activator made by Moutta Farm;
• 1 user guide.

The Bokashi Confort lid, with its seal and three latches, makes the bucket completely airtight.

The Bokashi Confort accepts your cooked or raw food scraps: vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and fish bones, dairy products, pizza, cakes, and coffee grounds. You can also add used tissues and paper towels. Small chicken bones are fine, but avoid larger ones because they don't break down well.

Do not add: liquids, ashes, excrement, sand, wood and wood shavings, or plastic, metal, and glass. The full chart of accepted and prohibited waste is on this page.

The Bokashi Confort comes ready to use, with a 0.7 fl oz (20 ml) measuring scoop and 2.2 lb (1 kg) of activator. To round out your setup:

• a second bucket (set of 2), so you can fill one while the other ferments;
• our Bokashi Activator in packs of 2 or 3 bags, or our kit for making your own activator;
• the Maze 9L kitchen compost bin, from the same brand, for the day's food scraps;
• our pH Test, if you feed the contents to worms.

Each time you add to the Bokashi Confort, add no more than 0.8 in (2 cm) of food scraps, then sprinkle the Bokashi activator in a thin layer over the entire surface and press down with the compactor to push out the air. Add your scraps as you go, without waiting until you have a lot.

Amount per addition: 1.4 fl oz (40 ml). Then fasten the three clips on the Bokashi Confort lid: it must stay airtight.

The juice from the Bokashi Confort drains through the built-in spigot at the bottom of the bucket, while the grid keeps the food scraps above the liquid. Drain it regularly. At first, or with dry scraps (paper towels, winter vegetables), it's normal to get very little.

Always use it diluted: about 3.4 fl oz (1 dl) of juice per 2.6-gallon (10-liter) watering can, once a month, since it's highly concentrated. One customer confirms it: "the flowers love the juice it makes."

Once it's full, keep the Bokashi Confort closed for about 2 weeks while it ferments; just keep opening the spigot to drain the liquid. The food scraps come out fermented but still whole. This is normal, since they finish breaking down in the soil. You have several options:

• bury them in a hole or trench in your vegetable garden, then cover with a layer of soil;
• add them to your backyard composter and cover them with other compostable materials;
• add small amounts to a worm composter or a WORMacotta.

Yes, in small amounts, since the fermented contents of the Bokashi Confort are acidic. Check the pH first with test strips: your worms are happiest at around 7. Blended eggshells or RegulaWorm will raise a pH that's too low.

The right pace: small, regular additions mixed with cardboard, rather than a whole bucket at once. Your worms will benefit every time.

All our tips: What can you feed the worms in your worm bin?