Althouse: At the Careful Composter Café...

January 16, 2013

At the Careful Composter Café...

... be green... and orange.

58 comments:

MadisonMan said...: This time of year, our compost -- carefully gathered -- usually goes in the trash on trash day because the outdoor compost bin is way back at the back of the yard, and there's snow in the way.

George Dreckmann is weeping.; 1/16/13, 3:36 PM
Jason said...: Orange? F--k that shite! Tiochfaidh ar la!!!!!!; 1/16/13, 3:38 PM
edutcher said...: You separate your stuff?

Or do you just generate that much?

(a lot of fresh fruits and eggs, I see); 1/16/13, 3:39 PM
Bob_R said...: I keep looking for a nice looking enamel bucket with a lid to keep on the island to chuck compost into. Haven't found what I'm looking for so far.; 1/16/13, 3:45 PM
Bob_R said...: I suppose you could just pile the orange peels in pyramids.; 1/16/13, 3:48 PM
ALP said...: "...because the outdoor compost bin is way back at the back of the yard, and there's snow in the way."

That's why an indoor worm bin is so fabulous - that's where our smaller food debris goes when we don't want to troop out to the real compost pile - finished product is used in the greenhouse. Hmmmm...its a perfect day for a little quality compost turning, come to think of it.; 1/16/13, 3:49 PM
X said...: anyone seen Fen? his law made the front page of Ace of Spades HQ.; 1/16/13, 3:50 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: The couple encased the rent skins of oranges from the fruitier inside styrofoam sarcophaguses.; 1/16/13, 3:53 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Oops, plastic, not styrofoam.; 1/16/13, 3:54 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Or you could say, "Honey, I think these four containers of yogurt have gone bad."; 1/16/13, 3:55 PM
rhhardin said...: Ohio is more direct.; 1/16/13, 4:00 PM
Methadras said...: Hey, who deleted my post?; 1/16/13, 4:05 PM
m stone said...: What is the philosophy of distribution here, other than color balance?

Is that a grilled eggplant slice?; 1/16/13, 4:16 PM
mccullough said...: Freeman,

I believe the plural of sarchophagus is sarcophagi.; 1/16/13, 4:26 PM
Anonymous said...: The same Fen who commented back during all the hoopla over the Trayon Martin case that he would like to see a certain female reporter gang raped and then burned?; 1/16/13, 4:28 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: I looked it up. It's either one.; 1/16/13, 4:28 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: MMs it's a tatle tale trash.; 1/16/13, 4:29 PM
mccullough said...: Freeman,

Lol. There's a John Ashbery poem called "Fuckin' Sarcophagi" that I love.

Does anyone know what the waffleish thing in the bottom left cup is?; 1/16/13, 4:31 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Scott Fitzgerald would never write sarcophagi.; 1/16/13, 4:31 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: waffle pattern = Aeropress filter

I'll bet 16.4 trillion dollars.; 1/16/13, 4:43 PM
mccullough said...: Does Althouse have countertops made of recycled material? I hear they are getting popular.

I'm a Formica man myself.; 1/16/13, 4:45 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I'll bet 16.4 trillion dollars.

We dont take coins.; 1/16/13, 4:46 PM
Bob Ellison said...: Let me know if you need any chicken poop. That stuff needs careful training, but they say it can be made into great fertilizer.; 1/16/13, 5:03 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Baseball is banning fake pick-off move to third... its going to be made a balk.

Talk about over-officious jerks.; 1/16/13, 5:08 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Bob R--do what I do and use a coffee can with a snap-tight lid. Fits nicely under the sink and cost: free.

Related: I was just thinking this morning how much more I would like it if we paid for trash removal by weight. Between recycling and composting religiously, we only fill our 90 gallon trash cart about 1/3 full every week, and that's for a family of 6 including one in disposable diapers. It annoys me that I pay the same as the people who have two overflowing carts every week.; 1/16/13, 5:08 PM
garage mahal said...: Hey, who deleted my post?

That was me. To prevent any future deletions you're seriously going to need to up your game.; 1/16/13, 5:09 PM
Jose_K said...: A transgender conspiracy against women?http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/williamhenderson/100008672/in-trying-to-unpublish-julie-burchill-the-observer-displays-its-ignorance-of-the-internet/

Nastassja too and she is not selling a book:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/9798480/Nastassja-Kinski-says-tyrant-father-tried-to-abuse-her.html; 1/16/13, 5:10 PM
Anonymous said...: I've got two tangerine trees, a lemon tree and a Mandarin orange tree. Loaded and ripe. Please come by an help yourselves.; 1/16/13, 5:11 PM
edutcher said...: Inga said...

The same Fen who commented back during all the hoopla over the Trayon Martin case that he would like to see a certain female reporter gang raped and then burned?

No, the Fen who called out Oop and shilol on their claims of military service.

He got mad after Ann accused some people of racism over the imagery of the Obama Phone Woman and left.

Interesting to note her (OPW) sticker shock and buyer's remorse.

PS Blogger seems to be eating comments.; 1/16/13, 5:20 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/16/13, 5:25 PM
Anonymous said...: Edutcher, I never stated I was in the military. I stated my daughter was and is in the military.

And neither Fen, nor you or anyone else here who claims anything on line beyond suspicion. I could say that I don't believe for a minute there is any such a person in your life as "The Blond". But that would be weird, as I don't know you.; 1/16/13, 5:28 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: CBS did 10 minutes on gun control.

The propaganda machine is on full throttle up.; 1/16/13, 5:43 PM
Rabel said...: Speaking of making shit up:

Say it ain't so, Te'o.; 1/16/13, 5:43 PM
RazorSharpSundries said...: Orange peels should be thrown on the fire, it's nature's citrus incense. My English mother taught me that. Unfortunately at this stage in my life I neither have fireplace or orange peels. Don't cry for me Argentina.; 1/16/13, 6:30 PM
Penny said...: Presentation is everything.

Even in composting!

Miss Piggy is said to be salivating.; 1/16/13, 6:36 PM
HT said...: Lots of experts (Rodales, amateur and professional composters) say worms are not necessary for compost to degrade. But they help. How much do they help? How much is bacteria and how much is the worms? I'm still learning. I'd say most of course is the bacteria, but that's just a guess. I know worms are good for castings. Great book by Amy Stewart on worms. Worms she says are our future.; 1/16/13, 6:59 PM
Patrick said...: Rabel, that Manti Teo thing is bizarre. His statement is even weirder.; 1/16/13, 7:23 PM
Patrick said...: I like to compost. I like to see how the stuff rots and my kids like the worms that result.; 1/16/13, 7:27 PM
Bob_R said...: Erica - Yeah, something under the sink would be fine, but I really like having the compost container (we use a bowl with a mismatched lid now) on the main work surface. If I were redoing the kitchen I'd have two holes in the island work surface - one for trash, one for compost.

Also, we generate a lot of compost. I'm low carb and make omelets for everyone every morning - so at least seven eggs a day, coffee grounds, citrus peels, cauliflower leaves, collard stems. We filled the gallon bowl today. Has to be bigger than a coffee can. They used to have enamel buckets in to use for pickling, diaper pails, etc. Can't find them any more.; 1/16/13, 7:48 PM
Bob_R said...: On the T'eo thing - that is completely bizarre, but I didn't think that his statement was. The Occam's toothbrush solution is that he was scammed by some kid who knew him and hated him in High School. Yeah, it's possible that he was somehow in on the scam, but it's much more twisted and complicated if that's true.; 1/16/13, 7:53 PM
Laura said...: How many Secretary of States do you have to screw to afford an attached greenhouse? Just throwin' my white papers to the wind LOL.

And with free aplomb (but not to a man), I query: Is it Guy or Gus that the kabbalist tried to nail in the coffin?

Sunset was a watery-eyed sailor's delight, but dang camera was out of Focus.; 1/16/13, 8:55 PM
kjbe said...: MM, same here. I've thought about the worm thing, but, I dunno, messy or complicated or something...; 1/16/13, 9:02 PM
Laura said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/16/13, 9:08 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Bob--I getcha. I've seen fancy compost buckets with charcoal filters and stuff that would be presentable for the countertop-maybe Williams Sonoma? And I would love to have a chute in the counter. I produce a lot of compostables too.; 1/16/13, 9:20 PM
MadisonMan said...: No way will I do the worm thing. Like I really need one more thing to keep track of/take care of.

Simplify! Simplify!

I have thought, sometimes, that life would be easier if we had a pig. All those carrot and parsnip peels. Wouldn't a pig love that? And the egg shells and squash rinds? How come Madison allows chickens but not pigs!?; 1/16/13, 9:46 PM
HT said...: But pig manure is not as good as cow manure. It might not have as much nitrogen.; 1/16/13, 9:49 PM
coketown said...: I love composting because it makes me feel superior to other people, and as a superior person I am afforded the luxury of ignoring laws that I feel should apply to inferior people but certainly not to me. I compost, then go to D.C. with a book bag full of high-capacity magazines. Sometimes I compost and then jaywalk. I have even been known to compost and then not pass a budget for four years as required by law.

The worm thing is gross, though. I used to sell those indoor worming composter things, and even the crunchiest of Subaru-driving granola retards returned them because the stench was too obnoxious.; 1/16/13, 11:44 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: U.S. programmer outsources own job to China, surfs cat videos; 1/17/13, 12:57 AM
Dante said...: I think most cities have a great way of composting people's refuse. It accepts a variety of shapes and sizes, provided they aren't too big.

Use the insinkerator. Then off to the government's way of recycling.

Of course, they aren't breaking down all the compounds, and I understand trace amounts of hormones, and other drugs are showing up in the drinking water, but that's OK.; 1/17/13, 2:48 AM
Dante said...: Lem: As a computer programmer, that thought has crossed my mind as well. But there is no way I would do it. It probably violates a lot of agreements I made, and also I don't like taking credit for others work.; 1/17/13, 2:51 AM
Bob_R said...: If you use the insinkerator then you have to pay money for the organic matter to put in the garden every spring. I don't make enough compost to take care of all of our gardens, but it does save some money. If you don't garden, the insinkerator is the best bet.; 1/17/13, 6:34 AM
HT said...: I started composting (again) partly as a result of what a plumber told me about the insinkerator. He said it is NOT to be used to grind up organic matter. If you want to put a lemon down there, cut it up first, he said. Those things are costly to replace! So this time, I want mine to last longer than the last one did. Ideally, I'd like NOT to have one, as I think they are the plumber's best friend. But of course, initially it'll cost more to re-do the wires connections and so on.; 1/17/13, 7:31 AM
MadisonMan said...: We lost our insinkerator when a quarter found its way down the drain. You'd be surprised what a mere 25 cents can do.; 1/17/13, 8:21 AM
Patrick said...: Madison Man, what is the "worm thing" w/r/t composting. Do people add worms? In my experience, the worms just sort of appear, and get fat.; 1/17/13, 8:26 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: One day I was turning the compost and, at the bottom, I uncovered a bunch of baby voles.

I felt such pity I had to cover them back up, even though we have a huge vole problem.

My wife thought I was being an overly emotional asshole and I had to agree with her.

But it was something of a consolation to consider myself akin to Robert Burns.; 1/17/13, 9:34 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Oh, and I was probably drunk, so that made it even moreso.; 1/17/13, 9:36 AM
Aridog said...: Rabel said...

Speaking of making shit up:

Say it ain't so, Te'o.

My week for cynicism I guess. He only made runner up for the Heisman Trophy. Guess the weepy tragedy overcoming stuff didn't work, eh?; 1/17/13, 11:06 AM
Unknown said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/17/13, 11:08 AM