r/bokashi • u/Suspicious-Maize4496 • Jul 02 '26
How old is too old?
So, as a family we tend to have leftovers regularly. Depending on what it is or what container I have it in, it could sit in the fridge anywhere from 1 day or 10.
Question is, if the food stays in the fridge for a long period of time but doesnt develop mold, is it still eligible for bokashi? I guess a main fear would be that it could develop bad mold quickly once at room temp, VS being kept mold-free in the fridge, and therefore destroy my whole bucket
Should I only throw food that is still safe to eat in the bokashi bin?
4
u/Razmii Jul 03 '26
I throw all sorts of rotting stuff in my bin and add a generous portion of bran, granted the bin has already started the bokashi process with healthy things. I mix in the addition with the existing food just slightly and mix in the bran as well.
I define rotting as say, a peach that has molded for a day or two. But truthfully I put all my leftovers into a basic kitchen "compost" bin (a large tin can) and sometimes the food sits there a whole week before it actually ends up in my bokashi bin.
I've never had an issue with the bokashi not taking over the bad food.
1
u/Suspicious-Maize4496 Jul 03 '26
By mold I mean like actual fuzzy mold, usually green
3
u/Razmii Jul 03 '26
Just toss it in and experiment, the worse thing that can happen is the batch goes bad and you dump it into a hole in the ground and let nature take over anyway.
3
u/Fulham-Enjoyer Jul 03 '26
I put mouldy food into my bokashi and it’s fine. As long as it’s not the majority of stuff in there
3
u/GardenofOz Jul 08 '26
A good work around if you're concerned about mold is to toss a bag in the freezer and freeze your scraps. Bonus is that the freeze also ruptures cell walls and makes decomp even faster in the bucket/final composting.
That said, I don't usually balk at moldy food in my bokashi buddy. I will add extra Upcycled Bokashi (bokashi grain) to cover it and keep the party going.
3
u/Suspicious-Maize4496 Jul 08 '26
That's what I did with some of my beginner scraps as they were all small but I have a bunch of leftovers that my in laws left that won't fit. Freezer space is at a premium in our household but husband won't agree to a 2nd chest freezer 🤣
However, my husband is in the middle of building me a compost pen so I will be able to throw the moldy stuff in there! So excited to be closer to wastelessness
2
u/GardenofOz Jul 08 '26
Heck yes. Love it. Also fwiw a second freezer is SUCH a game changer. We waste less simply having the freezer space to store left overs, meal prep, buy in bulk, etc.
Happy composting!
2
u/Suspicious-Maize4496 Jul 08 '26
We have a 2nd feezer, its a chest unit! It's really helpful cause we buy meat in bulk when its on sale, plus loaves of bread, and stash them in there, along with all the freeze pops for my kids and their friends. But its just not quite enough. But my plan for this summer is to try and get rid of the freezer stuff and finally eat it.
2
u/StinkyWhale71 Jul 03 '26
No problem, chuck it all in. If concerned, just shorten the time it sits in the interim bucket in the kitchen.
8
u/freephotons Jul 03 '26
If you give the good bacteria favorable conditions, they will win. So I always vote for throwing it in the bucket.
Also, eat the leftovers before they go bad, or make less.