Electric Composter Results: Nagual

Is an electric composter a good alternative to the hot compost pile? In this video, I'll run a cycle with an Indiegogo marketed electric composter, Nagual. I think they saw my vids on another composting alternative, Bokashi, and figured I might have something to say about their project.
For those interested in the product, here's a link from the manufacturer: www.nagualep.com?sca_ref=2705001.CwrNohHVDD
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Photo Credit: Nazgul Fan Art by Danijel CC BY-SA 3.0

[@Arkryal]

I have one of these. Specifically the VitaMix FoodCycler, which is nearly identical in form and function, except they put the carbon filters on the back instead of the bottom. Other than that, it's the same machine. As you mentioned, this is good for the winter months. Things don't compost well at below freezing temperatures, so the waste builds up in your compost pile over the winter, attracts pests, and then in the spring, it's too much fresh material so the pile can go rancid. This solves that issue. Dehydrate and grind it, then stick it in a 5 Gallon bucket with a lid and save it for spring. It's not true compost, but mixed into the soil, it will attract an insane amount of worms who make short work of it, and those castings make great compost. So this is an intermediary step to help manage the volume of waste. If you keep a worm bin indoors, this cuts down on odors, but you will need to add supplemental moisture in that scenario. The problem most people have with worm bins is the demand the worms have for food rarely matches the variable output of suitable kitchen scraps. This provides a way to store excess and give controlled amounts as needed without adding too many scraps at once or having to dispose of excess and then add supplemental feed later when demand is up. It's a good buffer for that demand. Yes, the electricity used will put out about 0.5lbs of CO2 per cycle, however, if it it mixed into active, healthy soil, per gallon volume, it prevents about 0.15lbs of methane over traditional composting. So in terms of greenhouse gasses, it's still a net positive, and you could run it from a solar panel to eliminate the CO2 overhead. In terms of waste volume reduction, it's about 20:1, so a 20 gallon kitchen garbage can would reduce to 1 gallon of dried waste. As long as you're mindful of what you put in there (avoiding fats, dairy and citrus), the resultant product makes a great food for fish if you have a large pond on your property. You can use it to grow out fish like Bluegill very rapidly and turn it back into food that way. It can handle small amounts of shredded cardboard. Use a cross-cut paper shredder to reduce the cardboard, and add a hand full at a time if you have any exceptionally wet wastes. A good heavy-duty paper shredder is a great supplemental device for reducing waste volumes, even if not used in these composters. The cut cardboard can be added to soil as a substitute for lightening materials like pearlite of sphagnum moss. For At-home Waste management: • A traditional compost bin (the bigger, the better, ideally bigger than 3 cubic yards). Use for yard and garden waste • One of these kitchen "composters" for kitchen scraps. • A good paper shredder (those amazon boxes tend to pile up) • A Can and Bottle Crusher or trash compactor to reduce the size of plastic bottles and cans. • (Hardcore) a mealworm bin - They can eat Styrofoam and turn it to compost. • (Hardcore) a sealed electric concrete mixer - can be used with rocks and water to pulverize and smooth glass bottles down to sand. More viable if you live in a rural area without access to regular waste disposal. • A low-oxygen burn vessel (charcoal kiln) can eliminate larger wood waste very efficiently. The resultant charcoal is a good soil amendment. So you'll have a little bit of plastic and metal recycling to haul off periodically. There aren't many good home solutions for processing those. Plastic recycling is only really viable if it's extremely clean, sorted and compacted. Your best option there is to simply buy things with less plastic in them. Metals are always viable for recycling. Of course, the less you buy, the less you have to dispose of. Reusable shopping bags and produce bags can help cut down a lot. Reusable water bottles. If you drink soda, while pricey for the up-front costs, bag-in-box soda fountain mixes will save about 65 2L bottles per box of mix. There's no single solution, but with a little thought and investment, the average family could likely reduce their trash to one garbage bag a month without much effort. The real key to success there is to make it easy. If managing waste is a chore, people don't do it. That's where devices like this come in handy.

[@sldulin]

A fair demonstration. I think I'll stick with my shovel, but like you say, there are disadvantages to every composting system.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Yep. I told the supplier upfront that I was on the skeptical side about its value vs. the alternatives. I suspect it's a bit of a narrower demographic (apartment dwellers, or people who are really unreceptive to other composting options) that would find a reason to do this.

[@bl8388]

I'll stick with the corner of my neighbor's lawn just over my fence. That's where I just let nature do her thang. (Throws another bucket of food scraps). You go girl!

[@ugtitto2654]

I like the idea of the electric compost cooker. Exactly what I needed.

[@nyw11]

I just yesterday had an Ad for this campaign so I'll love to see a real world usage test and opinion!

[@capbin146]

Really interesting, never heard of this and if they catch on the price will come down. My council give us a food caddy and collect all these things with separate rubbish bins. Love the idea, home composting never seemed to work for me. Thanks for the lesson.

[@micheleriosa6948]

My garden groups have been doing comparisons of various inside electric composters and a few of us with established worm bins. I'd be interested to see your plants in a couple of weeks since that seems to be when the real composting happens and people have mentioned problems with smell, mold and flies. Ability to handle meat products is a plus. My worm bins have never had odour, only fruit flies before I began to freeze my peelings ahead of the bin and the finished result takes about a month, but it then truly pot-ready, That stuff does look like something you could put into a healthy worm bin and have a final product extremely quickly :) I may try my air-fryer on dehydrate after seeing your end result. Great review...long time fan :)

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Michele.

[@annah.8179]

Useful review for me, thank you! Our local department store has an electric composter for sale at the moment, so I have been thinking about the advantages of processing waste in this way. Their brand was Sage and price 359€. I already have a bokashi for winter months so I cannot justify spending that kind of money just for testing..🤓

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

The price is a bit of a sticking point, even if you can get past the energy usage and such. To me, $350 plus carbon filter replacements 1 or 2x per year seems like a lot. But I don't suppose I'm the demographic.

[@nelsonthorpe7811]

Thanks for (yet another) instructive video. I have been aiming for about 1 cubic yard of finished compost per year but only ended up with about half that this past fall. Doubling my production but that means the hunt for ingredients is never ending. (You have to be a special kind of crazy to try and collect leaves from you neighbor's front yards for more "brown" ingredients, [although the neighbors could not be more thrilled with this arrangement.]) I have seen these gizmos and wondered if they would be of any help with the kitchen waste but for what I am doing, just a waste of money, space and time, but I can certainly see how apartment dwellers might have a use for this. Thanks again.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Nelson - I know a few compost "enthusiasts" who would definitely understand!

[@TheGardenerNorth]

Great video! I think you made a great point on it being beneficial for apartment dwellers. Just having the ability to hold more compostable material without it stinking up the place would be an advantage. I have to say, even though I'm not a vegetarian, we go through a lot of organic waste and the size of it is what would deter me. I would prefer one slightly bigger. Interesting method in dealing with organic waste.

[@OutOfNamesToChoose]

I never knew that these existed. It sounds like it could be an option for me in the future, as my garden is far too small to have a compost heap

[@ninad5692]

Thank you for the review. I'd agree it's definitely a niche product but it's always interesting to think these things through. I would just add a small point too about materials waste. I was trying to see if that was a big piece of polystyrene shipping next to the box, and there's also the carbon filters that you'd go through. Not to mention the whole unit itself, what happens to that at its end of life...landfill? Recycling is so different everywhere.

[@dennistaft7868]

Jason, you did a great job reviewing this product. I would not have it if it were free, but I'm sure many love it. I would be interested in seeing how long it will take for the results of this to break down completely used as a top dress.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Dennis. I'll be watching for it. I haven't seen any concerns (yet) with it attracting rodents, but that's another thing I'll be looking for. Some of those chunks (esp. the orange peels) were surprisingly large, and citrus peels in particular are stubborn in any compost.

[@ankita3214]

Awesome Jason sir, I make compost by a heap pile method. Any plant always likes compost made by nature and natural organisms. 👌👍

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Ankita - I'm on board with your way!

[@Nrwich1]

If you don’t want to go through composting or doing bokashi, just bury your food scraps. It works very well in my suburban gardens and brings lots of worms around.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Laura.

[@elenasavva1]

Exactly what I'm doing

[@amysnipes4245]

Buying equipment and ongoing easy-to-use is not my cup of tea. That said, your review was thorough and unbiased. Thank you.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Amy

[@xtina4968]

That's awesome!

[@camlbacker]

@Fraser Valley Rose Farm I appreciate the review. I spent the whole video wondering who or what this system would be most ideal for; it's definitely a niche product for sure. I've been composting in some form or another since my years of spending Sundays after dinner in the fall trash-picking the neighborhood leaf bags with my mom and brother for our family garden, and in the many years since then, I'm not sure I've spent $350 on "composting infrastructure." I like the bokashi method, because for a very limited space footprint I can put a few buckets of bokashi in the basement starting about this time of year and save myself the treacherous and often icy trek to the slow compost pile. So, even in light of your work here, I will also remain on team bokashi. That said, I didn't see it answered anywhere here: what was the volume reduction of the compost from the time you put it in to the final product? One of the things I like about bokashi is that the loss of nutrients from initial input to becoming plantable soil is pretty minimal compared to most other methods...

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Scott. I found myself wondering the same thing: who is the real target customer? Urban, I would assume (because in rural or suburban areas, outdoor composting at least for some part of the year seems a more likely option). But most urban areas also have city green waste collection, so this would be for a) people who don't have green waste collection or for some reason won't use it, or b) people who see a value in "composting" their food scraps to topdress their indoor plants. I might be missing some piece of the puzzle here, because that seems like a pretty limited demographic. The volume reduction was 80 to 90% - and matched what was listed on the company website.

[@nevaehdoesstuff1092]

Very interesting@!!!🤔😊

[@gardeningbyheart4912]

Very interesting. This may be a very strange thought, but I wonder if heating the compost up enough to dry it out in 5 hours does anything to diminish the nutrients in the compost. I've always been told cooking the veggies removes some of the vitamins and raw is better. Just a stray thought. This definitely seems like a great alternative to the stinky compost can sitting on the kitchen counter.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks - another commenter was asking the same thing. Because composting itself breaks down the food all the way to soluble mineral salts before plants can absorb them, I'm not sure whether the intermediate steps will make a lot of difference. In other words, whether you chop it, dry it, ferment it or feed it to worms, it still need to be fully processed by soil microbes before your plants can access it anyway.

[@annebeck2208]

This would be brilliant for apartments that grow in pots or planters....compact composting!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Anne - yes, this must be the target customer. Or those with a small yard but a very cold winter, so that they can reduce the storage size (and yuckiness!) of the food waste, and then dig it into the garden in spring.

[@jasonf7632]

Thanks for the video. Considering getting one, as I hate composting with a passion and feel terrible throwing out scraps / peels. What if you decide to run the machine for 2 cycles? Also, how long will the dried scraps last if not immediately planted.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

They're dehydrated, so they'll store pretty much indefinitely. I'm not sure why you'd run it a second time (unless you're adding more food scraps, which you can definitely do without emptying - but it's just about as easy to empty it each time).

[@wegder]

Dehydrated and chopped up food is not compost but it would be easy to compost.

[@TamarBerk]

Just an excellent and thorough demonstration. I thought it would be finer and look more like soil. Have you tried any others that make the end product more fine?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Tamar. No, this is the only one I've tried. I wouldn't mind trying out one of the enzyme-based composters that I've seen on the market, but they're even more expensive I think.

[@albertinapaz9565]

I appreciate this information…thanks. Would you consider doing a comparative evaluation, I’m considering buying one since I have a postage size garden.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Albertina. I doubt it: I had no hesitation to do it as a novelty topic (and because the machine was provided free for evaluation) but I'm not sure it's "in my wheelhouse" enough either for my audience or for suppliers of kitchen gadgets.

[@plants5743]

I wouldn’t use it on my house plants but I would definitely use it to feed my springtails. You could probably blend it with water into a paste.

[@somethingbeautiful2212]

Very good review! I fully agree with you regarding the name, sounds a bit ghoulish to me. They could call it "Colorful Compost" or something like that, as it resembles pot puri' more than compost. Thanks!

[@jaritza1998]

Question. - as I’m filling this before it gets full , would I be plugged in the whole time ??

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

This one is manually activated when you decide it's full enough. I guess you could keep it plugged in between cycles, but it's not using power until you initiate a cycle.

[@plantsim]

Well I applaud them for innovating ways to help folks who want to compost but can't even. I thought a well fitting crock for scraps and a plastic worm tower was extravagant for composting infrastructure. Would this somehow be useful for hydroponics or aquaponics? Folks can pre-dig their composting holes in the garden to make winter burying easier. Easy to say for me in zone 7 haha.

[@micheleriosa6948]

Doesn't work unless it is a real pit and you have something unfrozen to cover it. OTOH, vermin is not as big an issue with winter bins in snowy areas.

[@darude2893]

How much nutrients and positive benefits disappear by doing this?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Good question. I know that heat processing can reduce nutritional value in food, but whether the same can be said for compost (which has to be basically broken down entirely anyway) I can't really say.

[@anthonysinclair5721]

Excellent tour of this 'composter' 😎 ; wouldn't the semi-cooked and dried output from this machine seem like a tasty treat for critters if used outdoors and not carefully buried deeply in the soil?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I've used some outdoors, and it seemed to mold up pretty quickly without attracting attention from wildlife. I can't say they'll never clue in, but so far it seems okay.

[@duncanpage1556]

Won't the final product stink when you rehydrate it ,like in house plants when you water? Thanks

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Lisa definitely noticed a garbage-y scent when I topdressed indoor plants with it.

[@MikeTrieu]

I have a similar Vitamix FoodCycler that does much the same thing as the Nagual. Oddly enough, the Nagual seems to have the same capacity as my FoodCycler, yet this unit is much taller. That's probably because they decided to place the carbon filters on the bottom rather than on the back. Personally, I think a shorter design is more desired to fit better under typical kitchen countertops. Regarding the desiccated and ground scraps that come out of these machines, I used to disperse them as-is in my outdoor raised bed garden, but I found the quality of the compost not very good and I'm very sensitive to the odor of decomposing organics, so I decided to also get a Reencle indoor composter, which actually does stir and heat my processed food scraps in a bed of non-pathogenic, thermophilic bacteria that are also salt and acid tolerating. The end result is much fluffier and actually smells like earth after only a couple weeks. But it also doesn't handle tough animal bones. I'm wondering if I need yet another machine to grind those stubborn materials into more manageable bits. That would probably be a much more noisy operation, tho.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks - I was wondering about some of those fast bacterial composters. Thanks for your insights.

[@mudpiemudpie785]

Great video. Thanks. Too fancy for me, though, and way too expensive. I'll stick with my compost tumbler. If I want it to go faster, I run the scraps through the food processor.

[@jasoncaldwell5595]

Theoretically, could you use the electric composter "soil" in a bokashi system?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Sure, but it seems like an unnecessary step to me.

[@user-ql5jd3vg2o]

What's wrong with direct sun drying system for couple of days?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I don't see a problem with sun drying, so long as you don't get issues with pests or odor.

[@slynx000]

Do you have a good read on the longevity of the machine?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I don't think I can make a very good judgement on it with just this amount of time. The ceramic "blades" and bucket seem pretty heavy duty. The lid might be an issue long-term. It's tight enough that it's difficult to place at times. Other than that, I'd like to get an idea of how long the filters last.

[@oldschoolska]

I must state that in many sources that I have read about composting the literature indicated strongly that citrus peelings are counterproductive as they are considered allopathic like pine needles are when it comes to nourishing compost for plants growth.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks George. I've heard more about them just being difficult to break down (in any composting system) - this one seems to be no exception.

[@sbffsbrarbrr]

This was very interesting....thank you for posting. I would love to have one of these to keep under the sink if the price was closer to $149. Otherwise, I will stick to my composting station where I throw/layer in everything except meat and dairy. I don't shred anything except leaves and turn two or three time a year. It does take longer than a heated pile but the results at the end of 8-12 months are still pretty satisfying. Whatever isn't composted by then just goes into a new pile.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I agree, this kid of kitchen gadget would probably get a lot more interest at a lower price-point. Thanks!

[@imaginecastles]

Can you explain why you put meat in the compost? Typically, that is not added to a compost pile.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks April. Takes a bit of getting used to, but some composting alternatives (like Bokashi) for instance, don't have the same exclusions as traditional compost. Trimmings or leftovers of meat and small bones are combined with veggies etc, and form the dried "meal" that results from the process.

[@luadraponies]

An Ozzie had great success with feeding to the chooks….hens, fowl,…. Would be fantastic for that.

[@gmo3686]

I do wonder how much nutrients are destroyed in the process that would otherwise be added to the final product for organic garden use

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

It's a reasonable question. The soil life has to process all of the food scraps (whether wet or dehydrated) down all the way to mineral salts before the plants can access it anyway - but the process of how it gets there might be important too.

[@at1the1beginning]

For a single person living in an apartment with no access to any other composting facility: propably yes. But in any other situation I don't see the point. First: it takes energy to operate and goes against my opinion of composting (free and no to minimal work involved). That's why I don't like Bokashi either. You need to constantly add (read: buy) the fermenting agent so instead of cutting costs you're making more; or the return is negligible. Second, the bucket doesn't take much material to be full and the resulting matter is even less (could be a positive depending on your point of view). Also an issue with Bokashi. Third: once the material is rehydrated it looks exactly as it went in, only smaller. Not something I'd want to see when I walk past my houseplants. I'd rather face the cold and wet of winter for five minutes to walk to my compost bin and dump a week's worth of kitchen scraps on there in one go and let nature take it from there than to go through this hassle. It's too high maintenance. Also: 'electric composter' seems far fetched; an outright lie actually. It's just a glorified mixer/dehydrator hybrid.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I think you're spot on, point by point. It would be a really limited set of circumstances that would make me consider using an electric composter. I'll only jump to the defense of bokashi in a muted way to say this: the bran is not expensive for me because I inoculate it with lactobacillus myself in a large batch once per year. It gives me the flexibility to defer a chore until I have time for it, and that's enough of an advantage for me.

[@susanmei9980]

This caught my attn bc I live in an apartment. Trying to cut down how many times I take the trash out bc I live alone, and don’t have that much reg trash. But food scraps are stinky and force the issue! So I’ve been bagging them up in the little produce bags and tossing in the dumpster whenever I go out, instead of wasting a larger trash bag. But I don’t go out that often, and even in the small produce bags they create stink. Not enough space in my little freezer. So a good scrap incinerator is a perfect idea. Just process, add to reg trash bag. Problem is the price. Way too much.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Susan. I agree - it does work and feel like the parts are well-made, but that price just seems like a lot for the average user.

[@angelatrudeau739]

The best way to think of worm composting is that the worms are secondary to the process. I can explain if it’s not too much

[@jonmurphy4218]

Do you have any pets? I would like to know were they attracted to the indoor covered pots and worse vermin on outside beds. Dried out meat

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi Jon. I'll be watching for it outside. So far no interest from the pets (cat and dog) and I haven't seen anything activity from the field mice outdoors either.

[@debk9984]

First, thanks so much for all you do! I've learned a lot from you since watching your videos. Next, I was shocked to see you putting meats in there. I've never known anyone who composted meat and bones. Ewww lol! Anyway I'm curious to know if drying vegetable scraps in a dehydrator or oven then using a food processor to pulverize it would do the same thing. I don't have a lot of food scraps since I'm vegetarian and live alone but still like to bury my scraps into the ground when I can. It freezes where I live so I usually fill a bag of scraps and put it in the freezer till I can bury it. If drying the scraps would work that would be great instead.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Deb. Yes, that's the exact process that's happening inside the electric composter, except self-contained and with air filtration to remove any odors. The freezer's not a bad option either, BTW.

[@debk9984]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thanks again! I'm totally trying it out this year!

[@theopeterbroers819]

Do you think this could work as a food dryer? Like pepper flakes, dried onion or mushroom.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi Theo. I was thinking the exact thing! Pepper flakes for sure. I wonder how it would go.

[@kimdean8669]

I am so intimidated by composting. Thank you for your honest reviews!

[@jaycummings8116]

I wonder if this could work as food for a worm bin.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I think so, at least if you provide sufficient moisture within the bin to allow the scraps to rehydrate a bit.

[@chris-2496]

Looks like someone barfed on your flower bed. I'm thinking maybe using it in my apartment and storing the dried scraps to give to chickens when I visit my parents on the weekends.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I know, right? The initial stages of rotting doesn't help the "blown chunks" look much. I'd definitely bury the scraps under at least a bit of soil for cosmetic reasons if nothing else. Your plan sounds good too.

[@chris-2496]

It should more accurately be called scrap grinder/dehydrator, as they actually boast on their webpage that it heats up the scraps to 126 °C killing all bacteria. When we all know bacteria could be the only thing doing the composting in such a machine. I saw a similar German appliance Kalea that seems to be actually composting. With double the price tag though. Each probably has its niche use.

[@carmenbailey1560]

Thanks for sharing, big negative when you open your packaging to find no English information. Zero interest with that product , we’ve composted for years with compost bins and will continue as long as we can. Again thanks for the demo 👍❤️😊

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Carmen. That's what I thought: those who are already composting won't see much advantage to this kind of thing.

[@linmonash1244]

If you sprinkle / top dress outdoor pots or garden beds with the finished product - because it's essentially dried food scraps - won't it still attract mice &/ or rats to eat it?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I can't say in all situations, but it turned to mush and began to rot fairly quickly in my garden, and I didn't see any rodent interest.

[@linmonash1244]

OK Thanks

[@KeyClavis]

Seems to me you could just blitz up scraps in a blender or food pro and incorporate them into the soil without bothering to dry them. They would re-hydrate in the ground anyway.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I know some people directly bury food scraps. I tried it here and it attracted too much attention from rodents, but your results may vary. One advantage to the dehydrating seems to be that the dried chips(?) are smaller and absorb moisture and rot slowly instead of in one big rotting mess. My rodents haven't paid it any notice.

[@familyfruit9833]

I wonder if outdoors it would attract rodents. Dehydrated, it is basically still unbroken down and would be edible to them. Perhaps less of an issue with one bucketful, but doing this regularly...?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I do wonder. I'll probably keep up using it for a while to see if it attracts rodents to my outdoor planters or garden beds

[@alzathoth]

seems like a fine product, but IMO over the top expensive for the average kitchen

[@degu44]

It is not a composter. It is a dehydrator and grinder. As soon as you add water to the end product it starts to rot and stink again, so it is not producing compost. However if you add the produce to a composter / vermi-composter it would reduce the time needed. But you would get a similar result if you just put the stuff through a blender.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

You're right on. I think there are some gadgets like this that use enzymes and bacteria, but this one is just heat and chop.

[@ScotHarkins]

The LotR creatures were the Nazgul…very different from Nagual. Hopefully.

[@NuncNuncNuncNunc]

I think it's pronounced "nawal," could be wrong. That's probably a bigger problem than confusion with LotR character. I can see it being said nag-u-al, na-gul, na-gal, na-gaul, na-gu-al, nag-wal in the English speaking world. Any footage of waste after hour and half? Just curious. Are animals attracted to the waste if you put it directly in the garden?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

No, it was just a slimy mess (and reeked!) so I closed it up and let it finish. I agree, the pronunciation is another big hurdle. It just seems so much easier to use a short made-up word (like "Lomi") without any odd connotations. No, I didn't see any problem with the stuff I put outside. I've heard that birds will pick at it, but I didn't see any of that.

[@KendraEMoyer]

You need to read some Carlos Casteneda.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks, I guess that would let me know something about the original meaning of Nagual

[@briankane6547]

My Brit lug-holes will NEVER get accustomed to "Compoasting."

[@gagecarty4290]

Lacking in a fungus or bacteria to help make true compost

[@SpergleberryFarm]

So, it's a blend and bake for garbage. You need to now compare earth worm composting in your series. At least if that one goes wrong, you can free the worms during the summer.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Gross when you think of it. Yes, I'll have to try earthworms!

[@micheleriosa6948]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm I'm still 100% Team Red Wiggler (the Caddilac of Worms) After that review. Thanks!

[@DavidMFChapman]

I see the advantage in apartments and condos, but I’ll continue mixing my kitchen scraps and shredded leaves in my backyard composter, which thrives with microscopic life beneficial to the garden soil.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks - your way sounds much more natural!

[@paulinecrispin121]

I would not want to use one of these even if I was given one. Too much effort for too little product.

[@briankane6547]

Looks like Potpourri.

[@rosamgaspar]

I was surprised that you added meat to the machine. Also sorry but it looks like a garbage pile once it rehydrates and it hasn't broken down at all.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Rosa. Yeah, Bokashi is the same way: you can include meat scraps and small bones that you definitely wouldn't include in traditional compost. To your second point: right, and this is why I wanted to draw the distinction at the front end of the video. This is not composting. The dried bits definitely take far less space than the fresh compost, and even when they took some moisture, they didn't "puff up" much, but the bits remind me of a dehydrated/powdered soup mix. Probably less gross if I'd worked it down into the top layer of the soil, but definitely not like working with a finished compost.

[@rosamgaspar]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thank you for letting me know.

[@EvenStarsBurnUp]

i think the amount of food it can hold and process looks way too small to make it useful.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Nil. I'd ballpark the bucket as the same size I use for collecting kitchen scraps for daily dinner prep and cleanup (family of 4) but maybe not for a holiday dinner with extended family! I'm not sure how it compares to other gadgets of the sort, but you're right - in a comparison with Bokashi or a compost pile, this would process a smaller amount more frequently rather than a larger amount over a longer period of time.

[@AmandaViolinGirl]

Why would you put food waste that came from animal product? The only animal products that I would put in a compost bin would be egg shells.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

This one isn't exactly a real composting method - more a food waste dehydrator/grinder.

[@docducttape9270]

So it's a blender/dehydrator? Lol

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Yes - blender or maybe grinder, because it really doesn't do a great job of chopping certain bits.

[@kenbielak4745]

I wouldn't recommend adding meat products to compost. That is your odor source and will also attract scavengers

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Ken. It's a different sort of composting, and I wanted to review it according to the recommended use.

[@kicknadeadcat]

Fancy blender.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Pretty much, except it dehydrates too.

[@peterkoller3761]

why should anyone buy a machine and use electricity to do something nature does by itself and for free?

[@dsbennett]

Another reviewer ran it for 5 weeks. He says his chickens love the stuff this machine makes. Our daughter has chickens and has to save up their egg shells, bake them on a sheet pan, then crush them well and stir it into the chicken's food. This machine is going to eliminate all that.