Bokashi is a ferment from Japan that has been used for centuries to efficiently break down organic waste. It is a combination of anaerobic bacteria including Lactobacillus, the bacteria that makes sauerkraut, kimchi, and yoghurt!

The benefit of Bokashi is that it breaks down food fast and can do it in a closed container. You could keep a Bokashi bucket inside your house and as long as the seal is tight you wouldn’t smell anything! I have also used it in a composting toilet and it kept the smell to a minimum.

Bokashi can compost any kind of food, including things you wouldn’t want to put on an outdoor compost pile like cooked food and meat. Cooked food and meat attract rodents and roaches and smell really bad! However, after fermenting with Bokashi for 6 weeks, the food is broken down enough that it won’t attract pests and will turn into finished compost in only 2 weeks!

Steps to Make Bokashi

  1. Get some Bokashi starter. You can purchase it online or in some garden stores. There are also methods to make your own starter with very cheap ingredients. See the links below.
  2. Collect fresh food in a container that can seal like a 5 gallon bucket. You can either add the food a little at a time or start with a full container.
  3. Add Bokashi bran and fill with water to the top of the food. If you’re adding the food a little at a time, add 1 tablespoon of bran for every inch of food and keep adding water. If you’re doing it all at once you’ll add about a cup of bran on top and pour the water over it. You may want to use a weight like a plate with a brick on top to weight the food down. This will prevent a film of mold from growing on top which makes emptying it a little less gross.
  4. Keep it somewhere it won’t get too hot or too cold for 6 weeks or more. Room temperature is best but if you can keep it from freezing or having direct sunlight on it you’ll be ok. If it’s cold it will take a bit longer. If it’s too hot it will get stinky, but you can still use it.
  5. Mix the finished Bokashi with a pile of brown material. This could be fall leaves, straw, dried leaves and stems from your garden, or wood chips. The finer the brown material, the faster it will break down. Some people use a wood chipper, leaf shredder, or weed whacker. By volume, you’ll want at least twice as much brown material as Bokashi. You can also strain the liquid off the Bokashi, dilute it 1 part Bokashi to 10 parts water, and use it to water your garden. Some people burry the Bokashi solids directly in their soil instead of composting it.
  6. Cover the pile with a tarp and turn it once a week. It should be noticeably warm when you turn it. Add a little water if it’s getting dry. It should be moist but not soggy. This composting process will allow aerobic microorganisms to move in and grow along with the anaerobic ones, creating a better microbiome for your soil.
  7. Apply the compost to your garden either by spreading it in a thin layer on top or mixing it into the top couple inches of soil. Be sure to mulch to lock-in the nutrients and protect the microorganisms!

Buy Bokashi Bran and Kits https://bokashiliving.com/shop/

Make your own Bokashi Bran from Effective Microorganisms (EM)

https://thatbackyard.com/how-to-make-diy-bokashi-bran-at-home/

Collect your own Indigenous Microorganism (IMO) to make a more locally acclimated microbiome

https://naturalfarminghawaii.net/2015/03/28/indigenous-micro-organisms-march-2015-meeting/

Last updated on March 28, 2022