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this weekend i'm doing something i've been wanting to do for a while: starting a compost bin so i can make really good "black gold" for my new garden. several weeks ago i took an industrial-sized rectangular, lidded plastic laundry detergent container with a handle and placed it under the sink next to the regular garbage. i began throwing in scraps of vegetables, egg shells, coffee grounds and other non-animal-based items. at first i was a little scared of it, nervous to open it. what nether-worldly sights or smells might i encounter? fortunately my fears were unfounded; the coffee grounds dominate the senses so when you lift the lid you get an in-the-coffee-shop sensation rather than an in-the-black-lagoon one.

yesterday i was faced with the definitive, looming question about the bin: now that it is really full (and we don't want that lid popping off!), what am i going to do with it? in anticipation of this question, i've had my eye on a compost bin from costco.com. it's low-maintenance (open the door and deposit; no churning necessary), durable (made from a composite material), affordable (about $70 as opposed to hundreds) and unobtrusive (that "garden green plastic pot" color that is so common.) so while there is much to recommend the costco composter, and i've been intending for weeks to purchase it, two thoughts struck me: 1. is there a home-made, low-tech, super-affordable way to get similar results and, 2. if i do something at home and on the cheap i can afford a much better new table top grill!

so, i decided to crawl the web in search of info. with two clicks i came to a wiki page that resolved my dilemma. i learned that with just a few bucks, a drill and a little patience, i can build my own composter. i purchased a heavy duty plastic storage container with a lid for $4, charged up the drill and made several holes on the lid and sides. i was thrilled to find out that once the material goes into the bin all i'll have to do is stir it around every few days with a rake and watch the magic happen.



with that solved, yet another question arose: do i need to put the bin in the direct sun? if so, i don't know that there's a sunny side of the house where i'd like to display a black rubber container bedecked with "polka dot" holes (the shady side of the house being the non-street side). fortunately i found out that although "hot composting"--locating the composter where there is direct heat several hours of the day--is a lot faster, i could locate my bin in the shade and accomplish my goal. in fact, from a site aptly named compostinfo.com i found out there are several ways to make compost, with methods employing heat, worms, trenches and more!

i decided to put my bin on the shady side of the house right underneath the dryer vent (why not mix coffee dregs with downy?). i transferred the compost matter that i've collected so far into the bin and, to my delight and slight dismay, discovered that it is already gurgling with microbial activity (i was reminded of the irony that is the human fear of small things: micro-bugs cannot harm me, so why is my heart racing a little?).



during this composting 101 tutorial, i learned that the kind i'm doing--"cold composting"--is also known as "slow composting." as i mentioned above, applying heat to the matter speeds up the process exponentially, as does using warms in the bin. since i've already ruled out the hot option, i'm now faced with the question of worms. i think i'll wait and see just how "slow" it goes before i go worm shopping!

p.s saturday afternoon, after a day in the yard. i just found the best spot for the bin. it's a sunny, not-so-visible spot that backs up to the house. it's right next to the natural gas hookup, so no beauty contest going on there. also, when i lifted the lid today i noticed there are WORMS snaking through the orange peels and egg shells. i think they sneaked in when i deposited the dead stems and roots of some of last years annuals. that was a surprise! so now i'm not only doing hot composting but hot composting with worms!

food and fascism

i found an article today that combines--albeit bizarrely--two of my favorite topics: food and culture. it's archived from the UK paper times online. the surprising, almost humorous, phrase "italy bans kebabs" in the article's title caught my eye, as did the accompanying photo of a fork of enticing pasta. but reading the article neither left me all that humored nor enticed.

the article informs the reader that, in seemingly musollini-esque fashion, there is now a push by the berlosconi government to ban all foreign foods in italian cities. specifically, the "kebab" and its purveyors have been targeted in the town of lucca. officials say the move is meant to protect italian culture through promoting italian food, but critics say: not so fast food fascistas. the motivation, detractors insist, goes beyond the love of italian gastronomy into the territory of "food racism" and even amounts to "culinary ethnic cleansing."

that seems way over the top, but at the very least the controversy shows how seriously italians take their food and that's something to admire. as an american raised in the era of the golden arches, i appreciate the italian food sensibility; for example the slow food movement, which began in rome about 10 years ago when locals successfully blocked the coming of mac donald's to st. peter's square and thereby sent a powerful signal to the world about their disdain for fast food culture. but, i must say i smell an overcooked paella here.

the banning of kebabs and other "foreign foods" in lucca seems to have as much to do with socialist laziness (the kebab vendors will work longer hours and it will be "unfair" to other food outlets), selective xenophobia (notice they're not protesting schnitzel), and food snobbery (do they think they invented gastronomy?), as it does about concern for preserving food culture. besides, do backers really think italians will completely abandon bisteca alle florentina for a kebab?

on the road again and soon

so, the time has come. finally. you'd think it was months and months since i blogged about the upcoming pbs series, spain: on the road again. but it's only been a few weeks, since august 12. i think it's that weird time thing that happens to us when we're excited (how the trip to disneyland takes forever to come and christmas morning eons to arrive, that sort of thing).



check out the site. mario will be blogging about the series, which is pretty cool. i did notice, and react with an understanding laugh, that his blog does not allow for comments. i'm sure he doesn't want to deal with a bunch of silly remarks. i can imagine them coming from all directions:

(the food enthusiast): "mario, i just LOVE your dad's deli in seattle" (that's something i'd prolly say if i ever got to eat at his dad's deli--read my august 31 post to see what my whining is about)

(the food network junkie): "mario, why DID they cancel molto mario? is fine living network REALLY a sister station?"

(hormonally charged guys): "mario, is gwyneth paltrow as hot in person as she looks in the movies? what was it like to spend 4 whole months in spain with her?"

(sycophants of any gender): "mario, where do you get all your orange shoes?"

(mothers/mother-types): "mario, don't you catch a cold from always wearing shorts?"

so, no blog responses from The Great One. that's okay, i'm looking forward to the sights, sounds and smells of italy (at least the imaginary smells coming through my tv) and i'm okay with not becoming mario's blogger bff.

it also looks like mario's "fellow travelers" will be blogging and i must say since my friend, kate informed me that mark bittman is pretty cool, i look forward to hearing his thoughts. and honestly, i have nothing against the girls, i really don't.

on a more contemplative note: i think we all pretty much get it now that there is no such thing as the simple release of a movie or show, at least not high profile ones. gone are the days when you just showed up at the theatre (with your nickel) and "saw the picture." gone, also are the days when you looked at the current listings of tv guide to see what's on. now it's about the release, the preview of the release and the preview of the preview. the fact that this is my second blog about a show that hasn't even aired is proof of that. not to mention that the series will be feature on an upcoming oprah episode and also graces the cover of this week's people magazine (which, incidentally will be the second time people has covered the show. may 12 was the first time).

i wonder if mario, who comes across as a very down-to-earth-guy (but a savvy one at that) ever just shakes his head at all the goings on?

ah, well. cynicism aside, i'll admit it: i'm excited to watch the series. bring on september 20, the day the first episode will air.

now, if only i could keep the wine cupboard stocked with rioja...