Bokashi Bran Recipe - DIY with Rice Water

[@julianawatkins4489]

You are prepared, organized and to the point! Thank you! :) Too many people just ramble trying to be cute/funny. You are INFORMATIVE which really stands out. That's what people are looking for.

[@timothyblazer1749]

100%. Thank you for your simple, clear instructions!

[@spir5102]

I agree!

[@a444mo]

I also agree, THANK YOU!

[@shelleysansom8584]

I have some fermented honey. Could I use this instead of the molasses?

[@liavanson8687]

Exactly! Very nice to learn about bokashi this way. Thanks!

[@shaktidevi8376]

Thank you for your clear and simple instructions. So many people trying to sell that it's not easy to find the instructions online. You rock!

[@JesseJames83]

Killer video. You have an excellent teaching style. I hope you share that with people as much as possible.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks so much Jesse

[@shawnhorton4559]

Great video, thanks for sharing! Couple things I noticed you could do to speed up the process of making you lacto serum. A wider more shallow dish for when you add the milk and also warmer temperatures speed this process up. I use a seedling heat mat and end up with a nice tight and thick curd on top after just a few days. Thanks again for sharing.

[@jorgemoramuoz8067]

I tried this recipe using oats instead bran , it works perfectly!!! Thanks for sharing!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Jorge. Other viewers have asked this question, so I'm glad you were able to answer.

[@laurecastro4973]

What about if I use a half of oats and a half of bran?

[@daciasdiy1861]

@@laurecastro4973 that what i was thinking ! I’m trying to figure out if this is actually cost effective and worth it ! I’m gonna do some indoor gardening and some outdoors , but bran is expensive and i don’t know if it will be worth it

[@SebastianFerenczy]

@@daciasdiy1861 I've heard someone say she have been successful inoculate sawdust. So i suppose most organic materials with the right consistency will work.

[@daciasdiy1861]

@@SebastianFerenczy good to know. I mean if they can use newspaper , then i guess so! Thanks

[@agatagorecka1654]

Thank you for the video. You presented the process in a clear easy to follow step by step guide with no unnecessary talking. I can just wish there were more videos made in this manner :) congratulations!

[@katblyth8153]

This is fantastic. I can finally start using the bokashi bin I bought years ago without needing to take out a second mortgage - seems so expensive with bought bran. Thank you so much for an informative, concise video.

[@wilsonmatunda4937]

This is one of the best tutorials I have seen on KZbin. Thanks for sharing. Keep up the good work.

[@sjt4689]

Good video, helped me remember how to use my EM concentrate which I bought a few years ago. I made 50 lbs of bokashi & then put it away. Will be making another 150 pounds for next year. Thanks very much 🙂

[@loveearthspirit829]

172k people watched this and I am one of them. So glad to find this instruction and so clear I cans start immediately. Thank you.

[@torreypine]

Thank you for giving clear, concise instructions with volumes and ratios. Your video is the best I’ve found thus far!

[@jonathanmanbode6032]

I totally agree!

[@garthwunsch7320]

Thanks Jason. I have whey that I strain from yogurt to thicken it up. Will use that... lactobacillus rich. Great video!

[@DusanTomic2]

This is one of the best tutorial who I see about growing some microbes. I configure how to made own starter for cheese, based on Lactobacillus! And how to continue to make Bokashi Bran. Thank you!

[@antoniahubancheva7907]

Nice video, thanks! It also made me realize that if the lactobacillus is the main culture then throwing a few spoons of yogurt, kimchi or kombucha mixed with a few spoons of sugar to the bran should do the same thing.

[@t3hRulez]

At 5:30 you correctly recommend any milk. I had success isolating lactobacillus with goat milk which is known to has very low lactose levels but it's what I had that bad soured in the fridge. Thanks for the video

[@christinachiang4347]

Hope you can see this after a year. I have some old cultured buttermilk in the fridge… don’t know whether I can use that?

[@Not_So_Weird_in_Austin]

Thanks for the no nonsense tutorial and accompanied videos on Bokashi. For me the most useful piece is how pickeling speeds the breakdown process of cooking waste prior to composting. No one talks about the juice being neutral in its benefit as a fertilizer AND "Ya still gotta compost" the Bokashi.

[@ckmbyrnes]

I have been using this recipe for over a year now and it works great! I don't have access to wheat bran, so I substituted with compressed wood pellets. They are cheap, easy to find, very absorbent and don't contain chemicals. I used to rehydrate them, break them up and dry them, but eventually just left them in a bucket and poured the molasses-LB mix directly on them and let the pellets soak up the bokashi goodness. If I had one criticism of this recipe is the moisture level in this method seems too low. I had to spritz the bran with molasses-LB mix to get the process moving faster. Otherwise this is the easiest, cheapest and most convenient method I have seen.

[@Saileahgaz]

I'm interested to know how much liquid activator you used per amount of wood pellets. Are we talking soaking them to the point of saturation? I'd love to use pellets (which I use to heat my home), rather than track down a source of bulk bran. Thanks

[@ckmbyrnes]

@@Saileahgaz I guestimate all of my quantities and amounts so I don't have a definitive number to give you. I have a small, 1.5 gallon bucket I fill about 1/3 the way with wood pellets then add the amount of LAB I think will make it useful. The wood pellets will absorb any moisture quickly so I keep adding LAB until I get the right consistency, which is saturated but not dripping wet. If you squeeze it and a little moisture comes out is perfect. The wood pellets will not break up nicely, though, so I usually mix it up more with a drill and small paint stirrer. I then seal the bucket to make sure it does not dry out. Any excess LAB is either stored or put in spray bottles and spritzed on the bokashi if I think the wood pellet mix is too dry.

[@Saileahgaz]

@@ckmbyrnes That's great information. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

[@luzvigerminal558]

I made my own bokashi bran from rice wash but with my own touch. I add my indigenous microorganism ( my collection ) with fermented plant juice, molasses and pinch of pure sea salt.

[@paulbraga4460]

i'd never thought you would be doing something like this. super. as usual, so very clear and simple in expression video

[@cocomoran6170]

Your video is my bible now. My rice water is ready. So I watched your video for mixing milk. Your video is very comprehensive and detailed. I will check out your video each time when I make my own Bokashi em. I am doing traditional compost bin, which is not ready in one and half months. I am trying Bokashi method in parallel to see which one serves me better. Thank you!

[@kyledevos5458]

You can collect lactobacillus from your worm bin. Run some chloramine free water and collect in the secondary bin or below the bin. Add some newspaper to balance moisture levels out. Add milk to the now worm wee and wait a week to extract lactobacillus culture. Lots of different organisms in the worm bin

[@aidanokeeffe7928]

This was very instructive. One thing: you would avoid some transfer loss if you mixed the molasses/starter liquid with the bran inside of the black bag.

[@federicofoglietta7635]

Men you are a genius, i cant find this in my country, greatings from argentina

[@mariaza1199]

I made it!!!😊 Now it is fermenting.😅 Hope it works so I can save some money. God bless you!😊 Thanks.

[@c6d6c6]

Thanks for the process, great vid. re: commercial mix vs home made: no way those photosynthetic bacteria are functional in the final mix... It's an anaerobic environment without any light. They will be replaced by whatever is selected for in the specific environment you create (rice bran with sugar vs wheat bran with molasses vs barley bran with yeast extract, etc). Actually, I'm pretty convinced you could skip the culturing step and just use yogurt or any old dairy probiotic supplement, primed for a bit in warm water with molasses or whatever, and then throw it right on the grain. Because the initial culture in this case is likely just creating the low ph to facilitate the anaerobic fermentation on the grain and preventing competition from whatever would otherwise spoil it, but then probably get superseded by whatever is most suited to grow in the final environment (no doubt some mix of some LAB).

[@judytelles3518]

Following your instructions today, I have got to the last mixing stage. I have clotted mix in my sink, I had to buy a turkey baster not to baste turkey with, and sieve at Christmas time. I will be spreading this in my sitting room on anything flat, have to protect beige wool carpet. I have never allowed my children to finger paint or craft as too messy, now I am doing Bokashi, OMG. In north London, U.K.

[@maggiescalf5312]

DANG IT. I did NOT need a new hobby... especially another composting method. But here we go... gotta try it!

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Wish I watched this a 3rd time before starting lol. I'm in stage 3 (milk and rice water). Everything was going well, but today is day 3 and I noticed a slight sour smell. I used all the rice water including the sediment. I'll follow you lead and try again !! Cheers Jason Jason and Colleen 🌱🤞🌱

[@tyrexpolie]

Using the sediment should be ok, the sour smell is normal as the milk coagulates during the fermentation. You should still be able to us the liquid from that process.

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

@@tyrexpolie yes !! It worked !! Be using it all summer with great results with various applications. Really glad I kept trying:) Cheers

[@cathyingraham4300]

Great Video! Thanks for doing this and making it easy for even a novice to follow along. Looking forward to giving this a try. Hard to do “hot” composting here in MI

[@SuperLazyCat]

thank you for actually going step by step with visuals. I will have to try this soon.

[@isaaca6445]

Brilliant! Very clear and intelligent explanation! Thank you!

[@WanieB]

Thank you for the post, you made the process look doable. I might just try it!!

[@aba2415]

Thank you for this simple easy to understand recipe 🙏💓🌱

[@stevendahman2785]

Thank you!! I have been looking for a "from scratch" method.

[@aliababwa3866]

absolutely fantastic content and presentation, invitingly informative!

[@rosagallardo9755]

Thank you, I know this video is a little old but still one of the best I could find ❤️

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks Rosa

[@sandeepshetty5642]

I followed your process exactly and got a great final product, with a nice pickled and acidic smell. I have some questions about the drying stage. Should it be dried directly under the sun, won't that kill the microbes? How long should it be dried? Is there such a thing as "too dry". My fear is that too much drying would kill the microbes. Thanks!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I've dried it quickly in the full sun, and found it still works well.

[@MrPablo1uk]

Microbes just lay dormant when dry, waiting for the right environment

[@mattmccoy7364]

I’ve read that UV rays from full sun can kill those bacteria. Being that they have pockets of shade to hide in during the drying process of the inoculated grain, it may work out fine. However, storing your jar of “whey” or lactobacillus (LAB) in full sun could give a full kill to the jar, as it’s fully translucent. I’ll be avoiding full sun when drying my grain, if possible.

[@iwonalasak-hughes5814]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm hi do you think that bacteria I am using for sourdough will work ?

[@ryanchin5232]

In every step of making BOKASHI, the light is very carefully kept away. But at the final step, the sun light is used to dry it up. That is so weird.

[@sanjaykumaryeotikar7474]

Today I watched your video first of all a lot of thanks for your video with a lot of information. In my country a company is making silica from rice husk in your process finally rice bran have any silica contains

[@livb2401]

Thank you for posting about this! I want to make a batch but only have old oat groats. Do you think it would work? And do you think they would sprout or should I toast them sterile first? Excited to try

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I think it should work okay - not sure I'd bother with sterilizing.

[@evanmarkross]

Thanks for the great video. Informative without the hype. Greatly appreciate your work.

[@HashFace253]

wait you mean i dont have to buy the bran for like 18 dollars a pound and have it shipped to the farm in a bunch of plastic!?!? sweeet

[@lilyannbutad1922]

Wow! I’m over the moon with this video!!! Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

My pleasure Lily. Thanks for watching

[@jimhaberer5048]

Thanks for the informative video. Do you know if the lacto bacilli die or become less effective after some period of time or exposure to air/moisture/etc? Is there a best practice for storing the inoculated bran? Also, do you recommend any resources you used for learning more about the microbial process happening here? I greatly appreciate you sharing your knowledge, but it is also helpful to see the primary resources as well.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

What I've read is that the bran should be stored dry and dark.

[@jimhaberer5048]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Hi Jason, do you have any advice on an alternative input other than wheat bran or spent beer grain when making my own. I have about one week left in the process before I will be grabbing the whey out of the fermented rice wash/milk, and I don't have a solid source of spent beer grain yet. Do you have any other suggestions for a medium to inoculate? Thanks!

[@jimhaberer5048]

I'll go ahead and answer my own question, citing your FAQ video at 4:50. Thanks for making that video as well. I only saw it today, but it was also very informative. It's linked here for anyone else that might want it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnK2m3ijrLJljqs

[@alecst-hilaire5332]

this video helped alot!! , i was wondering, i succesfully made my first batch of bran about 6 months ago, since then i filled about 4 buckets of compost , thanks to you ! i remarked that something changed in the way the bran looks. now i can see that my bran is ''dusty'', it looks like it's full of static charge , has anyone experience this? maybe time to start a new batch of bb ? what time shelf life approximately you guys would recommennd?

[@blenderbenderguy]

I'm looking at alternatives to wheat bran as they are fairly expensive. I've read that other substrates can be used and wondering if anyone has tried rice hulls as they are much cheaper. Thanks for the video!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Yes, I know that rice hulls work fine

[@lydiahubbell6278]

What about coffee bean chaff from a coffee toaster?

[@jessicapearce4143]

I am wondering this too! Anyone have any experience of using shredded paper?

[@trininomad9293]

Sawdust works

[@krystalpayne878]

Great demonstration, thank you for the info. You did a wonderful job including all the measurements and explaining each step of the process clearly. Any suggestions on where to source wheat bran?????????

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I get mine from the feed store

[@kellytong5441]

Hello! Thank you so much for such an informative and detailed video! May I ask what is the purpose of transferring the bran into the black plastic bag? Can I leave the moistened bran in the same plastic tub (sealed with a lid) for 2 weeks? I can't wait to try this. Thanks again!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi Joe. To keep the air out. The lactobacillus grows best without too much oxygen

[@zacchilds3870]

Great video, thank you! I made my own and it worked so much better than the store bought variety, I am going to try spent grain from beer making and extra whey from yogurt making next time

[@dilaur2983]

did the spent grain from beer making work?

[@zacchilds3870]

​@@dilaur2983 I think I would say hard to verify how effective the end product was. Took some effort to get moisture levels to a good place and ended up with some other molds being cultivated on it.. so I would say no, but perhaps other people have developed a better system.

[@botanicaltreasures2408]

I’m relieved to learn this isn’t porridge 🥣 to eat for breakfast.

[@patriciaafonso1973]

Excellent content!: Congratulations on the video and thank you so much for sharing.

[@dorapang5054]

Hi, I’m wondering when you would start digging in and burying the fermented kitchen scrape in your garden in early months. I live in ontario and it’s kind of cold from december to april. If i bury them during winter, would they decompose slowly and be ready in spring? Thanks!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I do it through the winter as weather allows. Otherwise, I just place the fermented bokashi in a cool place and start a new bucket. When the weather is more favorable, I catch it up.

[@johnlally3506]

I originally used bokashi to get all my kitchen waste including meat scraps and cooked food into a form I could add to hot compost. My hot compost was in half full 1 m3 dumpy bags piled together and stacked two high to keep the heat in. Even in winter the temperature would hit 60 degrees celcius and over. But it was a lot of work and always when turning the compost, the outer layers would be thick with worms , so I tried burying the fermented food waste instead. The new system is to mix up garden waste with fermented food and bury it. Aerobic composting happens under the soil with less extreme temperatures and the worms go nuts for the mixture. Just the native worms in the soil, not bought ones. I give my bokashi buckets longer to ferment in winter assuming it is slower in the cold.

[@viecastillo]

I must try this for my plants. Thank you so much.

[@howardatunga6475]

Thanks you so much

[@viecastillo]

@@howardatunga6475 much welcome.

[@margaretsharp8028]

One question re the bran...can I possibly use coffee roaster husks? OR is some aspect of bran an important key to the process? Thanks, it's a greatly informative video. Very much looking forward to making my own.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

The bran is just meant to be an inert carrier for the bacterial culture. So long as the coffee husks aren't prone to breaking down/rotting, I don't see why you couldn't use them.

[@margaretsharp8028]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thanks Jason - really appreciate your reply - I'm keen to start experimenting

[@jiddyification]

Thanks for a great video! How long does the dried bran last and still be effective for the compost?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I've heard about a year (and that's the batch size I make) - but if it's stored dry and cool, it may be okay a lot longer.

[@kgfgdsr]

Thanks so much for the great tutorial! :) I was wondering is there any alternative for milk in this case (for example doesn't cabbage also contain lactic acid bacteria or am I wrong?) since I don't use milk products and would not like to buy it just for this case. I would very much appreciate an answer, thank you in beforehand.

[@benioneill8812]

Hi henni, from my understanding the milk acts as a food source for the lactic acid bacteria already in the rice water, not as a source of bacteria. The cabbage wouldn't help add the correct bacteria as these would already be present in the fermented rice water. My guess is that the lack of milk would prevent the lactic acid bacteria from outcompeting the other kinds (they do better than other bacteria, with this kind of food), resulting in an ineffective innoculant, unfortunately.

[@ewakraft5770]

of course u can do it without the milk. Bokashi is used mostly in Japan and Korea and they have the bin under the sink. Both dont drink milk and its not used there for the feeding. Anny lactic acid will do. if u ferment food at home, like vegetable, easy is cabbage to sauerkraut, take the brine from the finished fermenting. If u need more liquide then use some water and put sugar in it and mix it with the brine so it can ferment more. Also Kombucha is realy good, ore buy a yoghurt and mix it with water and some sugar and add it to the rice water. Milk is not necessary.

[@annamiaugenau5393]

I would be interested as well. I kinda figured making a starter from kimchi juice would work. After all it's loaded with lactobacillus. Maybe ferment some blended cooked beans? It needs sugars I guess?

[@iwonalasak-hughes5814]

@@ewakraft5770 you are wright . I am polish and we ferment a lot of veg and Flour for special sour soup and there are the same bacteria .

[@lindalu8565]

Very easy to understand. Thank you.

[@Cuttiegirlsu]

i love this video thank you so so much!

[@luvallakunchala2756]

You have explained it very clearly, ty

[@heatherokeefe3042]

I'm at the second stage of this process. The lactobacillus is in the milk and I have about 1 week left on it. My question is do you have any issues when you dry the bran outside? I was going to spread mine out on a tarp outside but I was wondering if bugs/raccoons etc will get into it?

[@bluemoon8268]

... you can skip the rice and milk steps ... just use any whey , like the whey that sits on top of whole milk Greek Yoghurt ...the whole process is the same principle as making a starter for sourdough bread ...

[@proletariatsgarden]

Thanks, Jason! I’d like to give it a try! But could you also make a video about EM starter? I bought one bottle of EM, and not quite sure how I should use it rather than as a ferment/compost starter, but I saw some people use it as soil improvement or even fertiliser (not sure how it would contribute nutrient). Thank you!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I can't really comment too much on its other supposed uses: there were some experiments done with agricultural use of EM as a growth stimulant, biopesticide, etc. but the results were never consistent enough to support widespread use. I think the general principle of inoculating a soil or potting mix with known "good guys" to in theory squeeze out the bad plant pathogens is valid enough, and I've seen evidence of the benefits when soil producers add bacteria like Bacillus subtilis to their mix. The EM (or EM1, or whatever the proprietary brand is) just doesn't have enough convincing evidence that I've seen.

[@proletariatsgarden]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm that’s my concern too. I’ve seen many reviews and they all sounds vague and not convincing enough, but some people did have positive effect by using it. It seems like an ‘all purpose but no purpose’ kind of product. So I’m confused and like to know your professional insight. Thank you again, Jason!

[@barbll000]

I'm totally new to this topic. I'm guessing you keep the dried bokashi to add by handfuls at a time to a small kitchen compost to help break things down?? Is this used outside as well?

[@fotyfar]

Amazing, very well explained, thank u very much 👍👍

[@alisonbrearley6008]

Why do folks add the bran instead of using the liquid like a liquid bokashi spray? Does the bran help it last longer or add a kind of dry ingredient to the compost that's helpful? Wonderful video.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

It's just for a convenient way to store and apply the bokashi microbe culture.

[@fabriziom2661]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm the EM has LAB (what you collected), YEAST, and phototropic bacteria. Is LAB the only thing required for the anaerobic fermentation? Or does yeast naturally form? Where does the phototropic bacteria come from in the bin?

[@peterzacharias2992]

Its for adding on comppost pile. It makes it more convenient. And feeds microorganism.

[@canuckbucks]

really appreciate this. Well done btw, really competent work.

[@danielloo3317]

Thank you for sharing. How much of the bran do you use every time you add to the Compost bin ?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi Daniel. Just a small handful. Probably the equivalent of 2 tablespoons (30ml)

[@anajinn]

This was an excellent presentation. You explained everything in simple terms and I would like to give it a try. I have heard of people using spent grain from a brewery. Do you know anything about that please? Thank you very much for this excellent instruction.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Thanks anajinn. No, I haven't tried anything out with spent grains - but so long as they're fairly stable (won't rot in storage) they should be a decent substrate instead of bran.

[@saraolivia750]

If I have whey from yogurt making, is there a way for to skip those first few steps? Thanks for the video. Subscribed.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I'm pretty sure you can use the lactobacillus culture from yogurt making interchangeably. Thanks!

[@grybramsen6465]

I really liked this video (thank you very much) and my ricewater is already brewing. I find that the initial process takes some time to complete and there also seems to be quite a lot of 'wasted' effort by the end of it. Have you any experience with freezing the finished 'homemade' liquid, in any stage, to use it later? That would be really time-saving.

[@claraandriessen8423]

Could you use the liquid directly on the compost instead of putting it on bran and then in the compost? Because it would be easier to make a lot of liquid. How long does the liquid keep for?

[@gennatesdall2392]

I had the same question!

[@cowboyblacksmith]

Easy and cheap tip: Just use the labs, no bran or nothing. I dilute it 50/50 (you can dilute a lot more too) with water and put in a liter bottle with holes poked in the cap and store in fridge. Bran is hard to find and super expensive and as it turns out, completely unnecessary. I've done this for years and always get a nice white "mold", everything smells like pickles and it just plain works. A quick squirt is all it takes and done. My only cost is a cup of rice and 1/2 gallon of milk-that's it. 4-5 days to make the labs and you're ready to go.

[@passerby6168]

Hey, I found your reply intriguing but need to ask you some questions please? What are you diluting 50/50? The rice water and milk? Are the only ingredients you use rice, water and milk? No bran, no molasses? And then, when you use it, where do you keep your compost that you want to ferment? Does it have to be dark and/or cool? Can it receive sunlight, will heat speed up the process or not?

[@GreekVegetarianRecip]

Hey, I wondered about this I just wrote a comment above, {or below). ---3. Could you not just take the inoculant + sweetener and pour it directly onto your veggie scraps? You could freeze the rest in ice cubes, thaw, add as much sweetener as needed, and pour directly on food scraps? You could probably use some "juice" or inoculated veggies to start your next batch. I'll experiment soon and I will let you know the results. In the meantime, if you or anyone knows the answers, I would really appreciate hearing from you!---So, thanks for confirming my suspicion.

[@GreekVegetarianRecip]

@@passerby6168 I believe this is what he means: He follows the procedure rice + water, then into milk, water, molasses. Basically, follow the instructions in the video to end up with your liquid. Put your liquid in a bottle in the fridge. Make some holes in the lid of the bottle. When you want to use it, he is suggesting you take a quantity out of the fridge, dilute it with the same quantity of water (and I would say a pinch of sugar), and spray it on your veggie scraps. 1. Take 2 buckets. Make some holes in one bucket and place it inside the other bucket. (The outside bucket is there to catch drippings.) 2. Put your veggies in the inside bucket. 3. Take 1/4 cup of the liquid out of the bottle you placed in the fridge and mix it with 1/4 cup water. If you use tap water, put it in a cup and allow to stay uncovered overnight so that any chlorine in it may evaporate. The chlorine may kill the the beneficial bacteria. Put a pinch of sugar in it (sugar probably not necessary, but it may help). 4. Drizzle or spray the liquid on your veggie scraps which you placed in the inside bucket. Push your veggies down. Cover with a tight lid. Notes 1. The lactobacillus which you created using the rice water + milk + molasses or sugar + water solution likes to live between 68-72 degrees F. just like most of us. Think of it as a pet in terms of temperature. 2. Unlike a pet, it does not like oxygen. It functions by anaerobic respiration. That is one reason you pack down your veggies in the bucket. Also, that is why you put on a tight lid. (There are other bacteria that need oxygen to survive, and yet others that can survive with and without oxygen, but let's forget about those for now.) 3. I am not sure about dark or light requirements. Probably dark. ............ Having said all of the above: It appears that what you are after is lactobacilli. They also exist in white yogurt with live cultures, (no fruit). So, then the question becomes, "why not just use some yogurt and/or yogurt whey. The consensus in the comments seems to be you can forego the above process and just use yogurt. There are also other sources of the above bacterium such as fermented veggies. Kombucha also contains the bacterium as well as yeast. A few dry leaves and a bit of native soil might contain yeast. Sprinkle a little bit on your veggies. In any case, I hope I didn't confuse you. I probably made mistakes. I am sure somebody will correct me if I did. Oh, lactobacillus is a type of bacterium. I should add: What if you had no yogurt? The you would have to start from scratch and this video describes one way of doing it from scratch. Many thanks to the creator of this video!

[@passerby6168]

@@GreekVegetarianRecip Thank you for taking the trouble to write your very useful comment. Really appreciate it.

[@sararichardson737]

Half a gallon of milk? I was told to use 1

[@johnliu8801]

So basically for the first two steps you were culturing yogurt whey? Can I just use the yogurt whey from my homemade yogurt and jump to step 3? Thanks:)

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi John. I think any active lactobacillus culture should be a good starting point for step 3

[@johnliu8801]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thank you so much for replying. May I also ask a follow-up question? After you put bokashi and kitchen waste in a bin and wait for another two weeks, do you apply the product directly into your garden? Or you do trench composting? I am wondering if I can just throw the bokashi in my composter bin with leafs and kitchen scrap.

[@johnliu8801]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm wow just found your bokashi composting video. Great stuff!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I dig it in to allow soil bacteria to finish the job.

[@mdml0]

Thanks for the tutorial but it really is time-consuming and I think it's for those who can't get bokashi bran easily or have the materials used here already lying around in the house not being used. I will refer to this video if ever one day I would like to try it out.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

100% fair comment. None of the individual steps are too time consuming, but the wait time in between adds up to around a 5 week process (if you start from scratch). That said, a 10lb batch lasts me over a year, and a 40lb bag of wheat bran is around $15 (locally) compared to 40lbs of bokashi bran more in the $300 range. Thanks for watching and for your comment!

[@mdml0]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Sorry maybe "time-consuming" were not the right words to use. Here in Southeast Asia I can get a mid-sized bag of bokashi bran for less than a dollar. Rice is everywhere. :D

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Nice!

[@terihadley7214]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Where can we find wheat bran?

[@AndrewReynolds38]

Hey Jason! Thanks so much for doing this video. Question: I followed the steps to make the fermented rice mixture. I stored the rice water for a about a week in room temp in the summer (maybe too hot? ~70 deg.) I opened it today and the smell is pretty nasty, almost a puke and moldy towel combo, definitely not a sweet fermented smell-- I can only imagine how much worse it might get if I added milk. I wondered if this is normal or is something wrong? What temp do you do these steps at? Best. Thanks so much for your awesome videos!

[@rodrigoalamgonzalezarrieta1657]

Hi AndrewReynolds38 That also happened to me the first time. I live in warm area, right now 31°C (87.1 F) it feels like 37°C (98 F). In this weather the risewash will be ready between 2 or 3 days, and the mix with milk will be something between 48 hours. I found this information of some people doing in Hawai. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3zIZYKHoc-Jo8k

[@abdulolaoye9612]

Thank you for the beautiful presentation. Please, in what area can someone apply the end product? Also, instead of weath bran, can someone use sawdust? Thank you

[@yeomjiwon]

Why we can not use plain yogurts?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Sounds like a good experiment.

[@jesuschristislordoflordsan427]

when i throw cheese in my compost at home, some weird creatures - very similar in color to the cheese, is coming alive. perhaps they dont like to swim though

[@hideoutsalon3718]

Wow, what a lot of steps! I admire your sticktoitiveness. In the weeks it took you to go through all those steps, you could have done hot composting and had loads of finished compost before your starter was even ready to use. I have old lactobacillus yogurt starter, and since I no longer consume dairy, would it be beneficial in any way to unload the capsules into my outdoor compost?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I don't think it would help much - the main bacteria in hot composting is aerobic (likes lots of oxygen) and hot. Lactobacillus is anaerobic and cool. That said, I don't think it would hurt either!

[@hideoutsalon3718]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thanks for your reply, and please stay well. Our family has been binge watching your videos. Out oldest granddaughter just might have a new science project for 2021.

[@alexandracoffin696]

Thanks for this video Stephen! I have a hard time justifying spending $35 on what is essentially just a bottle of bacteria, especially considering I live in CO so the bottle could potentially freeze in transit and kill off all of the effective microbes! Have you ever experimented with adding brewer’s yeast at any point in this process? I would be interested to see if this could replace the yeast found in commercial EM and aid in the fermentation process. Of course with my luck I would probably end up creating some kind of weird bread/cheese hybrid!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi Alexandra. No, I haven't added yeast intentionally - but it's in the air all around us, so I'd be surprised if there wasn't at least some in the final mix.

[@dudseyloler3516]

Idk if you are still around but there is yeast in the milk already. It's what your fermenting. With raw milk there are live yeasts in it already as well as milk kefir.

[@annedymock2850]

Freezing should not kill the bacteria, just put them in stasis. Cultures in the powdered form used to make yogurts kimchi etc can be frozen and stored for well over a year. You can freeze the yeast/bacteria mix used to make kegir too, but being more liquid it doesn't last as long (it is recommended you dehydrate the kefir grains as much as you can before freezing. the powdered form, and is not as reliable. If lactobacilus is all that is really needed you can probably miss the first couple of steps and kick-start the process using other sources of the bacteria that are available pretty cheaply. Most yogurts here that advertise themselves with live cultures have ABC bacteria..Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidus regularis and Lactobacillus casei in the mix. If you make sourdough and have a mother you could use that (it has yeast too). Theoretically powdered probiotics you can buy (like inner health plus), that contain concentrated healthy bacteria as well. innerhealth.com.au/products/inner-health-plus-double-strength?gclid=CjwKCAjwwL6aBhBlEiwADycBIBs5anMllyBOvoXlIDGHO8lXlQ93NQ25rutcvMm1GLhZYXBGA7-MAhoCIZ0QAvD_BwE, These sources, yogurt especially could be a lot cheaper and made more frequently in smaller batches for apartment dwellers, especially if oats, and/or a wholegrain high fibre breakfast cereal like weetbix, or allbran can be used instead of straight wheat bran the sugar in the cereal would probably work as well as molasses the feed the culture. Thinking about it coir peat (sold cheaply in compressed bricks that you rehydrate) could be a much better cheap substitute for wheat bran. www.google.com.au/shopping/product/1784081224214819224?lsf=seller:142959337,store:8838442127290610334,lsfqd:0&prds=oid:2309659107404946534&q=fertilisers&hl=en&ei=oLBQY8zML8nTz7sP-cK7kAo&sts=14&lsft=gclid:CjwKCAjwwL6aBhBlEiwADycBILtwbuq1EzOKyGxQwpl5nHh35nC-4_diEMc8Tkfp_ij5W548mi8cgRoCvvoQAvD_BwE,gclsrc:aw.ds Coir peat would maintain a nice crumbly texture you can sprinkle, I imagine oats and a wholegrain cereal could be more gluggy, snd harden into clumps that would not be as easy to use.

[@Ryin88]

What would be the difference if i use brown sugar or even regular sugar? Its a 1/2 lb for a dollar so i figured so just use the whole thing? Also, if the purpose is to use the lactobacilius for compost, can u just use the fermented milk rice water mix into the compost bin? Say a cup or two then mix the pile? Whats the purpose of making the bran? Thanks so much for your time and videos!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

The idea of the bran is to have a convenient way to store and apply a lactobacillus starter to food waste over a long period. I've also seen instructions on how to keep a live culture active in water if that's the way you want to do it. Sugar is fine instead of molasses - the molasses has a few other nutrients to keep the bacteria healthy I've been told.

[@FEZKARA]

Hello Jason, thank you for this great video! Crystal clear explanation of the process. I believe brown sugar is recommended instead of molasses as it's dry and draws out the water in the cell to make it dormant and prolong the shelf life. I'd also like to have your opinion on use of dried Pumpkin seed peel (run them thru food processor first)instead of wheat bran? It does soak up liquid, moisture and can be fermented as it's part of the vegetable and of soft texture. I've plenty and it'd be good use instead of going to compost bin.

[@shawnhorton4559]

What amount of brown sugar would you use for 10lbs of substrate? What you're speaking of is osmotic pressure. I'm not totally sure if brown sugar is recommended over molasses tho, the few bokashi I have seen have all been made with molasses. Could you link me to a write up or recipe please?

[@lynneb.3935]

You can leave chlorinated water out overnight, and the chlorine will be gone. I do this for botanical fermentation, and it works all the time.

[@Kinjo2008]

You can also place some Vitamin C / ascorbic acid into the water and mix it in, to eliminate chlorine.

[@annedymock2850]

I used to do it for replacing water for fish tanks too. Boiling water for 15 minutes will also remove chlorine

[@n1lla]

I just learned of Bokashi, and as a urban apartment dweller don't really have the space to do this. I see that some companies like Urban Composter and All Seasons have a liquid Bokashi starter. I have been looking for a DIY recipe of this all over the wb with no luck so far. Would much appreciate if you had any info on creating that. Having to keep buying spray is not really cost effective and goes against the zero waste state i working toward.

[@GardenFreshBD]

Can I use clear bag and keep it in a sunny area as I want to add my own made purple psb in the bran as well as bakery yeast.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I haven't done any of that myself. My only caution would be that a clear bag in a sunny spot could pick up a fair amount of heat. Lactobacillus grows well up to 40 C, but much past that, and you run a risk of damaging their growth. I wonder if it makes more sense to culture the yeast and psb separately and add them to the mix shortly before drying. I know that they're present in far lower concentrations in the EM type starters.

[@drbelem]

Great tutorial 👏👏👏 what about the ratio I can use in 5gal Bucket (tomatoes)? Thx

[@lyndat8973]

Hi thank you for your video, it’s quite informative. can I start the Bokashi recipe in the winter, does cold weather matter?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

All of the microbe processes are temperature dependent. I do everything except the burying step indoors, so it's always workable - but the garage is cooler, and notice the fermentation takes an extra week or two.

[@lyndat8973]

Great thank you

[@MhUser]

while you have your bokashi bucket going can you take some fermented material to use as a starter for your next bucket? this could be done indefinitely just like your do with a bread sourdough

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi MhUser. So long as the lactobacillus remains the dominant bacteria, I bet that would work fine. I wonder if other organisms might begin to build populations as well though. If you start fresh with a lactobacillus inoculated bran, you get a fairly certain outcome.

[@madeleinelewis9646]

Hi thank you for the DIY on Bokashi. I had given up using the system because it was just way too expensive to maintain. One quick question can I jump start the process using the whey from my yogurt making?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi Madeline. Yes, that's a great shortcut

[@ayseguldemir3328]

Hello and thx for sharing i really liked the video 😊 i have a question, i did all the things and i ve been waiting for 2 weeks but i think i skipped the tempeture factor. I put my pocket to my balcony and the tempeture is approximately 12/15 °C It has been there for two weeks. I think its too low for the bacterias. Tomorrow i will open and dry it, but how can i understand whether its avaliable for drying or not? Thanks for your time

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

You can't go too far wrong - and 12 to 15c isn't unreasonably cool. It should smell acidic, like pickles when it's ready to dry.

[@ayseguldemir3328]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm really thank you for the answer 😊

[@jameswhitt7921]

Great video. Can I use the whey from my cheese making, or does it have to be made with the rice starch?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I think it should be no problem - it's lactic acid bacteria you're after, and I think that's what you'll have from cheese making

[@lucasmontenegro293]

Excellent video,and very helpful.I'm thinking in using sauerkraut as a lactobacillus source for inoculating food waste,just because I don't have much access to the supplies that you use in your process

[@yunfeiwu55]

Thanks for this very interesting project. Can’t wait to try. And where do you keep the garbage badg for two weeks?Garage? Room temperature? Fridge? Keep it dark or doesn’t matter? Thanks

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Room temperature. I put it down in the garage to keep it out of the way.

[@yunfeiwu55]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thanks Jason！

[@andrzejolszewski83]

Hi Fraser, thanks for previous response! another Q: I just started my firts batch, if I keep adding sugar and water periodically, will it lats longer period?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Not so far as I can figure. Once you have a good population of microbes in the bran and it's dried out, I don't think more sugar will help them to stay inactive longer.

[@MareSimone1]

I use feline pine kitty litter which is just pine sawdust compressed into pellets. It works really well and it's very inexpensive especially if you buy it in bulk 7 lb online is about five bucks.

[@jonathanmanbode6032]

Awesome video will try this!

[@telioty]

Could you just use yogurt (not strained, so curd and whey together) and sauerkraut/kimchi juice with the food to be composted? I saw someone else ask about using the liquid starter and you mentioned as long as it is occasionally fed it is good to go.

[@ChikHomeHobbies]

Thanks for this video. Whatelsebcan i use aside feom the wheat bran as a substrate? Can i use wood shavings? Or rice hull? Thanks!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Yes, rice hulls or wood shavings work just fine.

[@Premdeepmann]

Very well defined.. Thankyou

[@fergusdangerfield156]

Hi thank you for the video. Fascinating subject. Is it advisable to make the bran and add it in a layering approach to acomst heap??

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Hi Fergus - my impression is that the lactobacillus is not very useful/dominant in a hot compost pile.

[@fergusdangerfield156]

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm thank you for your response x.

[@emkn1479]

Rice wash is great for hair and skin and now I can use it for making bokashi?! What can’t it do 😆 I’ve followed you for a few years but didn’t know you dabbled in bokashi composting; so glad this video popped up right away in my search for DIY bokashi bran. Just wondering…would probiotic supplements help speed up the process at all? I have some that I no longer use and I mix them in when I make yogurt, because why (whey?) not?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I've never used them, but if they support the development of Lactobacillus I can't see why not

[@royallan3717]

Thanks so much Fraser,top video

[@RCGTRADING]

Thank you for the very informative video. May I ask how long we can store the bokashi brand before it expires? Thanks a lot.

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I've heard some sources say a year or so.