My Home Composting Experience

When I first started trying to increase my sustainability efforts, composting was something that kept coming up.  I had heard about it, but didn't really know much about it.  I now understand composting is basically recycling organic matter (think food scraps and yard waste) into soil.  According to the EPA, "Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up more than 30 percent of what we throw away, and could be composted instead.  Making compost keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas."*  That's a really large percentage of stuff that could literally be prevented from ever going into the landfill!

After doing some very basic research, I decided to just go for it and learn along the way.  In January of 2020 I convinced Adam to put what's considered a digester in our backyard.  A digester is essentially an enclosed compost bin.  (Here's a link to a tutorial you can use to make one of your own.)  I decided an enclosed compost bin was best for our situation.  We still had our sweet dog Jazzy and she loved to eat any and all food.  So we wanted to keep all those food scraps contained and away from her.  Plus, Archer and Lyla were younger and like to explore everything.  We also have lots of bunnies and chipmunks and squirrels and probably other critters I don't care to know about hanging around our yard.  The idea of a compost bin that wouldn't encourage more critters was very appealing.  So we got a garbage bin, drilled holes in the bottom and sides, dug a hole and stuck in the bin!  It was simple and didn't take too much time.  

Once we had our bin in place, we added just a bit of dirt to get things set up.  Then I did some more research to determine what exactly we could put in our compost bin.  You want to have a fairly even mix of green matter and brown matter.  Green matter includes things like fruit and vegetable scraps and grass clippings.  Brown matter includes things like cardboard, twigs and dead leaves.  The EPA's website has a good list of items to get you started.  Here's a list of some of the things we compost: fruit and vegetable scraps (think watermelon rinds, apple cores, potato peels), dead flowers, wine corks (make sure they are actually cork and not plastic), hair trimmings, toothpicks, cardboard, eggshells, parchment paper (make sure it says 'home compostable' on the the box- we use the 'If You Care' brand) and floss (again, make sure it says 'home compostable.')  Some things definitely break down faster than others.  The smaller you break down the items to begin with, the quicker they will break down into compost.  So instead of throwing in a whole cardboard box, rip it up first.  And smush up eggshells instead of throwing them in whole.  You get the picture.  Oh, and remember to remove any stickers from your produce before putting them in your compost bin since they won't break down. 

One thing that has been helpful is keeping a bowl in our freezer for all of our food scraps.  This keeps food from smelling and freezing it first actually helps it break down faster.  It also prevents me from having to go outside anytime I end up with an apple core.  I just toss things in there and then take the bowl outside when it gets filled up.  I might just be weird, but it brings me a nice sense of satisfaction each time I empty a bowl of scraps into our compost bin.   

I was a bit overwhelmed when we first started composting.  I think I checked Google before composting anything because I was worried I would do it wrong.  But composting isn't an exact science.  Even if you don't have an exactly equal amount of green and brown matter, it will still break down.  And after doing it for two years, it's become second nature.  Whenever we go on vacation or visit family that doesn't compost, I feel incredibly weird throwing away banana peels in the trash.  Archer and Lyla even have a pretty good sense of what to stick in the freezer versus the recycling bin or the trash.

Another piece of the composting puzzle is to regularly turn it.  Every once in awhile, when I bring out a bowl of scraps, I will grab a shovel from the shed and stir up all the contents of the compost bin.  Since our bins are buried in the ground, water seeps in the sides and we don't really have to add any water.  If you have a compost bin that's above ground, it's a good idea to give it a spritz of water every once in awhile to help it decompose.  

After composting for about two years, we realized our bin was getting pretty full.  Things were definitely decomposing, but we kept adding in new stuff.  Since it was January, we weren't ready to use it in our garden.  So we decided to add a second bin.  That way, we could stop adding stuff to the first bin and let that totally decompose so it would be ready to use in our garden when we planted it in May.  Looking back, we probably should have added two bins to begin with.  But we figured it out eventually.  

So this past May, I got to add our first batch of compost to our little raised garden.  It was pretty amazing that all those food scraps and cardboard somehow turned into soil!  We had enough to give our whole garden a good layer of compost. 

And look at how happy my garden is!  It is thriving this year and I truly think the compost made all the difference.  I planted lettuce and tomatoes this year.  We enjoyed lettuce throughout June and even had extra to share with our neighbors.     

We've had a few cherry tomatoes ripen so far and they are delicious.  I'm looking forward to even more throughout July and August.  We planted mint way back in 2016 and it comes up every year even though I rip it out continuously throughout the year.  We also had a few volunteer plants pop up this year.  They appear to be vines, so it will be fun to see what we end up with.  Could be pumpkins or cucumbers or watermelon, who knows?! 

With our two compost bins being so successful, we decided to add another compost setup strictly for our yard waste.  Adam got the idea from our neighbor who has a similar setup.  Our neighbor even shared some supplies with us.  (We are truly lucky to have so many sweet neighbors.)  The plan is to put all the sticks we pick up from the yard, along with leaves in the fall and plant trimmings into these bins.  It's divided into three sections.  The first section is where we add stuff to begin with.  Once it starts to break down, we add it to the next section.  Once it's fully broken down and ready to be used as compost, we'll keep it in the third section.  With this system, we'll be able to completely eliminate the need for curbside yard waste pick up.  Plus, we'll end up with more compost for our garden and flower beds around the yard.  

So now I just toss all those random sticks and flowers that I've deadheaded into the first section.  When I'm watering the garden, I give the setup a spritz of water to help things break down a bit more since it's above ground.  I'm so glad Adam came up with this idea.  When we were visiting my parents this past weekend, we had some corn on the cob.  Adam asked if he could bring home the husks for our compost bin and I've never been more in love.  Just kidding, but I do love how he's hopped on board this sustainability train with me.       

Composting has allowed me to reduce our household waste by a lot!  We end up with one trash bag each week and usually it's not even full.  It has also helped our little garden grow.  And I'm so happy this is one small thing I can do to help our planet.  I hope you'll consider giving composting a try!  I'm always here to answer any questions.  

*https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home

A Family-Friendly Trip to Bentonville, AR

Back in May, we took a family-friendly trip to Bentonville, Arkansas.  We chose Bentonville because it was a relatively short three-hour drive, had lots of outdoor activities available and was a place we hadn't visited before.  I'm happy to report it was a fun trip for our entire family!  

We left on a Thursday morning and planned a few stops along the way to help break up the drive.  We packed a quick lunch of PB&J sandwiches and found a random park to stop at along the way.  (I'm pretty sure we are some of the last people still wearing masks in public indoor spaces.  Knock on wood, Adam, Archer, Lyla and myself have not gotten Covid and we'd like to keep it that way until the kids are fully vaccinated.  So we've opted to find restaurants with outdoor seating, which can be tricky sometimes.)  

Our next stop after lunch was Old Redings Mill Bridge in Joplin, Missouri.  It featured some pretty scenery and had a trail we walked on for a bit to stretch our legs.  I'm not sure it would be a place I would travel to just to see on its own, but it was the perfect pit stop to break up our time in the car.    

After driving for a bit more, we found a Braum's drive-thru to get some ice cream.  Adam has a fondness for their frozen yogurt so whenever we're in an area that has Braum's, we have to make a stop.  Archer, Lyla and I certainly didn't mind stopping for ice cream! 

After our tasty treat, we stopped at Tanyard Creek Nature Trail in Bella Vista, Arkansas.  It was absolutely gorgeous!  There was a really pretty trail that led to a waterfall!  We all enjoyed the views and Archer and Lyla enjoyed not smiling or looking at the camera at the same time.  In fact, that seemed to be a recurring theme throughout most of our adventures.   

 

Following our waterfall adventure, we made it to our hotel.  We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Bentonville, which worked out really well for our family.  We tend to pick Embassy Suites when we travel because the rooms are bigger, they usually have an indoor pool and they have breakfast included.  In fact, I think Archer and Lyla might have enjoyed the hotel the most out of everything from our trip.  They were big fans of riding the elevator and loved watching cable cartoons.

Thursday evening we ate at Grub's Bar & Grille.  It had decent food, was close enough to the hotel to walk to and had outdoor seating.  

The next morning, Friday, we stopped by Onyx Coffee Lab after enjoying our free hotel breakfast.  While I'm not a coffee drinker, Adam is and he said this might be his favorite coffee shop of all time.  I can also offer high compliments for their hot chocolate, while Archer and Lyla can praise the macaroons.  They also had the most adorable outdoor seating area.  Downtown Bentonville is very dog-friendly, so we all enjoyed watching all the cute dogs walk by in addition to enjoying our treats.    

Next, we walked around their little downtown area called The Square.  There were restaurants and cute shops, along with the Walmart Museum.  We didn't visit the Walmart Museum, but we did head to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. 

The weather was nice and sunny on Friday, so we decided to enjoy the outdoor spaces at Crystal Bridges.  There were lots of different paths you could take with sculptures to view along the way.  This sculpture was giving us major Stranger Things vibes!  

Following the museum, we enjoyed lunch at Bentonville Brewing Company.  This was a fun place to eat and drink.  We enjoyed their covered patio and beverages.  They even had a little area for the kids to ride some balance bikes.  

While we were driving around, the kids noticed a park along the way.  Since this was their vacation too, we decided to stop by the park after taking a rest at the hotel.  Osage Park has lots of walking trails, a lake, pickleball courts, an archery range and a dog park.  Of course there was playground equipment too, which Archer and Lyla loved climbing on.  

Coming to Osage Park was a bit of a happy accident.  Right next to the playground was Thaden Field, which is a small airport.  They had a restaurant (LOUISE) which featured patio seating right next to the runway.  So we got to enjoy a meal and watch a few planes land and take off!  It was a really fun dining experience and the food was delicious too.    

We started the following Saturday morning much like the previous morning.  Our first adventure was another visit to Onyx Coffee Lab.  The weather was looking a bit gloomy, but we managed to enjoy some drinks and snacks without getting rained on.  As we were heading back to the car, it started to rain.  We decided to head back to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art to check out the indoor exhibits since we only made it to the outdoor spaces the previous day.  There was lots to take in and they even had a cute little art studio for kids to create some artwork.  

Lunch proved to be a bit tricky on Saturday.  Since it was raining, we had a tough time finding somewhere with covered outdoor seating.  We ended up back at Bentonville Brewing Company.  We all enjoyed it just as much as the other visit.  

Our last stop of the day was the Amazeum, which is a children's museum/indoor play area with lots of hands-on activities.  It was super busy and more than a bit chaotic.  But the kids enjoyed themselves and had fun exploring all the place had to offer.  

Sunday was our last day in Bentonville and we ended up at Onyx Coffee Lab, once again.  Did I mention Adam said this was his favorite coffee place ever?  We started heading home afterwards, but did make one stop on the way home at Shoal Creek Falls.  We enjoyed stretching our legs and breaking up the car ride a bit.  The kids loved tossing rocks in the water, while Adam and I kept grabbing their jackets to keep them from tumbling into the water.  

All in all it was a fun getaway!  We got to see Archer and Lyla experience some new things.  We got to enjoy some beautiful scenery.  And we got to spend time together as a family.   

Tackling Food Waste

To continue my efforts to live more sustainably, I've focused my attention on tackling our family's food waste.  While I don't feel like my family has been super wasteful when it comes to food, we've definitely tossed leftovers and expired food in the past.  My goal has been to eliminate as much food waste as possible.

Here are a few tips and tricks that have helped my family out:

Buy Only What You Can Eat

This sounds so simple, but can be really difficult!  Grocery stores can be so tempting.  That's why I always meal plan and make a list of exactly what I need before I head to the grocery store.  Poor Archer and Lyla have to hear me say, "Not today," several times each trip when they try to get me to buy random stuff.  But I'm a stickler for only buying what's on my list.  I also try to find ingredients that will carry over to other meals if there are leftovers.  For example, if I am making chicken noodle soup, I can use some leftover chicken to make chicken nachos.  

I also tend to just cook and bake the foods I already know how to make.  That way I don't have to buy a bunch of ingredients that I will only use a little bit of and then leave to spoil in the back of my pantry.  Speaking of my pantry, it's pretty small.  It's just one cabinet with four roll-out drawers.  This also helps me not buy too much since I don't have a lot of space to house it.

Figure Out How To Properly Store Your Food

There are lots of little tricks you can do to make your food, especially your produce, last longer.  You can store cut up celery and carrots in jars of water to extend their life.  I keep lettuce in a sealed container with a damp cloth on top to keep it fresher and crisper longer.  It's better to stick berries in the fridge without washing them until you are ready to eat them.  Apples and citrus will keep longer if you refrigerate them.  Tomatoes do best if left out of the refrigerator.  Once avocados ripen, you can put them in the refrigerator and they'll keep for days!  Dry goods should be kept in airtight containers.   

Make Use Of Your Freezer

One thing that has helped me prolong our food and keep things from going to waste is to use my freezer more.  You can freeze a surprising amount of items.  I like to make homemade buttermilk biscuits, but don't want the hassle of making them all the time, so I quadruple my recipe and freeze a bunch.  All you have to do is flash freeze them before storing them.  Just set them out on a plate so they aren't touching and stick them in the freezer.  After about an hour, you can put them all together in one container and store them in your freezer.  I also do this with cookie dough balls.  You can even bake these items while they are frozen just by adding a couple of minutes to the bake time.    

I don't know about you, but sometimes I don't really enjoy eating the same thing for days on end.  So if I'm going to be making a pot roast or something that will yield a lot of food, I'll use half and then freeze half to use at a later date.  I love using jars to freeze meat.  Just make sure to let things cool to room temperature before putting the lid on it and don't overfill it before putting it in the freezer so you don't end up with a cracked jar.  I've been using jars for years and have yet to have anything crack.  I also really enjoy using Stasher bags (reusable silicone bags) to store things in the freezer.  

   

*I should point out that I know eating meat is not a very sustainable practice.  Maybe one day our family will cut out more meat from our diet, but we're not there yet.  I do get our meat from local farms, so that does help a bit.  I'm reminded of the quote by zero waste chef Anne Marie Bonneau whenever I feel guilty about eating meat: "We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly.  We need millions of people doing it imperfectly."  

Buy In Bulk

One way to eliminate some of the packaging involved with food is to buy in bulk.  At one of my local grocery stores (Sprouts-I believe they have locations in several different states), they have bulk bins full of dry goods, baking goods, dried fruits, nuts and candy.  I bring in my own little canvas bags, fill them up and then store them in old salsa jars at home.  This way, I don't have boxes and bags to dispose of after we've eaten everything up.  

When I do buy items that come with packaging, I opt for the largest-sized amount that will actually get eaten.  For example, Archer adores Cheeze-Its.  Instead of buying the pre-portioned individually wrapped kind, I opt for the large family size box and divvy it up myself at home.     

Consider Your Portions

I've tried to do a better job of cooking the correct portion of food for each meal.  I always used to make way too much pasta when I was making a pasta dish.  And I would save the extra cooked noodles and then end up throwing it away after it sat in my fridge for a week.  So now I cook only what I need and resist the temptation to add "just a few more noodles, just in case."  

I also try to portion out food on my family members' plates according to what I know they'll likely eat.  I err on the side of too little since they can always ask for more.  I know Archer will likely only eat the one required bite of pasta I put on his plate and not much more, whereas Lyla will eat a big heaping pile and then some.      

Compost

One of the best ways to prevent food waste, reduce the production of methane and end up with an end product that will make your garden happy is to compost.  I've been composting my food scraps for a few years now and am happy to report it's simple and easy to keep up with!  I plan to write a a post about my composting experience soon since I used my compost to plant my garden this spring.   

Donate Or Offer Up Food You Won't Eat

If you end up with food that you know you won't eat and it's unopened and not expired, consider donating it to your local food bank.  Or you could ask other family members or neighbors if they would like it.  I love to bake, but don't need to eat entire loaves of bread or batches of cupcakes, so I often share with our neighbors.  I've spoken before about Buy Nothing Groups (you can find your group by searching "Buy Nothing Group + your city" on Facebook or there is a new app you can download from the App Store or Google Play) and this is also a good way to offer up food you won't eat.  In my group, people will give away food that's been opened and people are generally okay with that as long as you disclose that information up front.

So these are my best ideas for preventing food waste.  I'm so proud of my family for taking these steps with me to prevent food waste.  We're not perfect, but being more mindful has certainly improved our behaviors around wasting food.  Let me hear your tips and tricks!  What other habits can I adopt to help eliminate food waste?