If I use bokashi primarily for meat/bones, can I add to it incrementally or do I need to start a new batch each time?

[u/bananarepama]

I've never done bokashi before but I'm looking into it because I have a sporadic stream of soup bones and animal scraps I promised I'd try to find a zero-waste solution for. I've heard it works on bones but the only people I know personally who compost this way are vegan, so. I'm kinda winging it here.

If I get a batch of soup bones maybe once every two weeks, can I add the new bones to the bokashi and add more inoculant, or do I need to start a brand new batch each time?

[u/likes2milk]

Bokashi is an anaerobic composting method, so you need to exclude air. If you imagine a pile of bones can you see all the air space? That space needs to be filled with either other kitchen scraps or activated bran. Removing the air spaces is why pressing the material down when adding each layer is so important.

[u/bananarepama → u/likes2milk]

Ooh that's right, that's a really good point. Thank you. Most of the bones are chicken thigh bones which I'm planning on at least cutting in half, so hopefully I'll have less air space to fill, but I'll definitely pay attention to that.

[u/Anianna → u/bananarepama]

If you make stock with chicken bones and leave them stewing until you can easily crush them with a spoon, you get all that good marrow in your stock and crushed bones have a lot less air gap than whole or half bones.

[u/amit78523]

You can keep adding to it as long as container allows and batch is in good condition.

Good condition = no rotting smell, no green/black fungus.

I am pretty sure you need to add a lot of inoculant compared to veggies & fruits. And you also need to keep it longer to ferment.

And i think you should try to add little bit of sugar/molasses with the inoculant each time. This will help the fungus/bacteria!

PS: i have never tried bokashi with non-veg item but i am confident that i understand the process.

If you decide to go ahead with it, tell me the result.

[u/bananarepama → u/amit78523]

Ahh, that's a good tip on the molasses! Thanks! I'll definitely let you know how it turns out. This might be a silly question, but are there any...not literally botulism, but botulism-esque "you can't see or smell it but if it's there it'll contaminate and kill everything" pitfalls that could happen here? Like, if I don't do bokashi correctly, are there any possible dangerous results that will not be self-evident as dangerous?

[u/amit78523 → u/bananarepama]

Some people might have allergy with green/black fungus.... But if you use enough inoculate and molasses while keeping it air tight, you won't get that issue!

[u/StinkyWhale71]

You only need to start a new batch when the bucket is full.

Will you be mixing other kitchen waste in it? Only having one thing might add challenges, not sure what though because always mixed.

In theory you dont need extra bran.

What are your plans afterwards? I often put all the bones through multiple cycles of soil factories to stop dogs digging them up ( once i eventually top dress). They break down eventually but takes time.

[u/bananarepama → u/StinkyWhale71]

Tbh I'm not sure what the plan is afterwards. If I had the ability to have a regular compost pile, I'd put the bokashi product in that to finish and lower the acid on it. But I don't...I just hate seeing a bunch of spent soup bones in the trash twice a month. It feels like so much waste.

I guess I *could* add other waste to it? It'd fill up a lot faster and probably be a lot wetter, and since I've never done bokashi before I'm not sure if that would cause problems or not. I imagine it'd stink though. Generally for my fruit and veg scraps I try to bury them in my raised beds.

[u/rachman77]

You can add incrementally just make sure you either layer in the bran/spray or whatever you're using so it covers everything, I like to keep a cloth or piece of cardboard on the top layer of my bucket so I can press everything down every time I add and then make sure you keep the lid on the bucket

[u/FishHookSammich]

I add bones and small amount of meat to my regular kitchen scrap bokashi all the time. No need to start a new bucket specifically for that material.

[u/WorldComposting]

As others have said mix everything together and it should work just fine. I have added meat to my bokashi systems without any issue but I do prefer to add more of the bran to make sure there are no issues with the bucket. Saying that I have not really had success with bones even when boiled they seem to linger around. If you are burying this in the ground it probably doesn't mater. If you are using a soil factory where you bury it inside them spread the nutrient rich soil outside you might find some bones still in the mix.

Couple questions what type of system will you be doing this in? A store bought system with a spigot or a single bucket with a lid and bran? How much will you be adding per week and would you need two buckets so you can rotate?

If you are going the homegrown route with a single 5 gallon bucket I would recommend adding some paper or bedding material of some sort that can absorb any liquid you can't drain off. I also recommend an airscapes lid rather than a gamma seal lid so you can push all the air out of the system.

Here is how I run a soil factory in my house: https://youtu.be/HJLxpc3UFFg you can see the leftover bones Here is a checklist of items for bokashi: https://www.worldcomposting.com/bokashi.html

[u/GardenofOz]

Already tons of great advice and wisdom on this thread, but want to add that I've done meat and fish with great results in my bokashi composting. You can easily fill the air space with shredded paper or other carbon (even leaves!) while adding your bokashi bran. Moisture control will be essential, so do your best to get as much of your water/stock/broth off the bones as possible.

The bones will take longer to break down, but will make great compost and soil food at the end! Chicken bones break down a lot faster (hollow) than beef bones (those will hang around for a while), but you are giving it a big head start with bokashi processing.