Bokashi Bran Recipe - DIY with Rice Water

You can make your own Bokashi Bran "from scratch" with this DIY recipe. The purpose of the bran is to inoculate the food waste with microorganisms to help them ferment - the main organism is lactic acid bacteria. My experience has been that this simple method of culturing lactobacillus from rice starch makes for an effective bokashi starter. I gather the starch from rice wash (rice water), culture the lactic acid bacteria using milk, then finally inoculate the wheat bran. When finished, the bran can be dried and stored for a year or more. This method is quite inexpensive compared to buying the bran in small batches commercially or even buying the EM starter liquid.
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[@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!

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@wilsonmatunda4937]

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

[@paulbraga4460]

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

[@isaaca6445]

Brilliant! Very clear and intelligent explanation! Thank you!

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@WanieB]

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

[@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!

[@aba2415]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@SuperLazyCat]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@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 🙂

[@evanmarkross]

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

[@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

[@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?

[@luvallakunchala2756]

You have explained it very clearly, ty

[@lindalu8565]

Very easy to understand. Thank you.

[@federicofoglietta7635]

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

[@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

[@canuckbucks]

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

[@fotyfar]

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

[@royallan3717]

Thanks so much Fraser,top video

[@patriciaafonso1973]

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

[@viecastillo]

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

[@howardatunga6475]

Thanks you so much

[@viecastillo]

@@howardatunga6475 much welcome.

[@ericbaltazar8499]

I learned a lot! Thanks!

[@mariaza1199]

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

[@susanmcdonald-timms3202]

Fantastic. Thank you

[@Cuttiegirlsu]

i love this video thank you so so much!

[@freddieivory625]

Great information thank you for sharing

[@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

[@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.

[@sangeetaarya7244]

Thank you

[@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.

[@jonathanmanbode6032]

Awesome video will try this!

[@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

[@Premdeepmann]

Very well defined.. Thankyou

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@rizebalikcisi]

Thank you very much.

[@michaelcooney7687]

Excellent thanks

[@acolley2891]

Very nice video. Thank you

[@baykusbalkabagi]

Thanks for sharing🙋🏼‍♀️

[@freddimble6578]

Excellent video thanks

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Happy you found it helpful.

[@mimmipiggast2243]

Thanks

[@karengee9140]

Thanks for a great tutorial! Can i use blackstrap molasses? Can the starter liquid be stored for future use?

[@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.

[@mitchelllott]

you’re the man

[@mariaza1199]

Thanks.😊

[@andrewchia3136]

Thank you for sharing

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

My pleasure

[@carmenslee6234]

Very good!

[@aaronmr7943]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@erwinz5926]

Thanks.

[@drbelem]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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).

[@martasienkiewicz4486]

Beautifull!!!

[@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

[@maggiescalf5312]

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

[@botanicaltreasures2408]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@chrisschultz1580]

Thank you for your reply. I'm now considering pellet stove pellets. Wish me luck.

[@paulawhite5935]

Just wondering how this worked out? I saw someone else used sawdust...so I’m thinking the pellets would be brilliant!

[@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.

[@carpediemjonah8110]

Any chance you could post that important "Certificate of Analysis." I have been unable to locate one. Thanks for all you do.

[@StoryOfJames.]

Fantastic video. It was easy to follow and i was successful in the first attempt. Thank you!

[@nillisam2149]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I saw your video on roses and you suggested to buy bulk alfalfa for it to be cheaper which was a great idea, do have a suggestion or link to buy bulk bran. Tx.

[@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)

[@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.

[@sherilcarey7100]

Hey thanks for this video. :)

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

You bet. My pleasure.

[@olgarakoto5728]

Thanks, I wanna kkow waht about using baker's yest ?

[@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

[@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!

[@erbauungstutztaufgnade1875]

very nice

[@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.

[@fionadelafuente7970]

Thanks so much for the excellent video!! I was wondering if I could use a plant based milk like almond milk or oat milk in lieu of cow's milk?

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

I don't think so - the bacteria grows well in milk because of the lactose. Have a look at other methods of lactic acid fermentation, but for this one I think the milk is necessary.

[@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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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?

[@rodrigoalamgonzalezarrieta1657]

Hi, Could I use Panela sugar or Muscovado sugar instead of molasses?

[@gustiandreansuryapratama2810]

Wow, such a great video :))), by chance would it be possible to replace the wheat bran with rice bran? because it is kind of hard to find wheat bran around my area... thank you!

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

Yes, rice bran would be fine

[@burakcavdar5244]

Thank you for your video.But ıts so diffucult for me.So how can ı find EM.Can I use fresh yeast for EM

[@FraserValleyRoseFarm]

It depends on where you are - in Canada and the US, if you can't find it locally, you can order the bran online. Amazon has it. It's the lactobacillus bacteria that does most of the work, not so much the yeast.

[@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.

[@got2dream1]

This was a great video, I just wish it was scaled down to create maybe 2 ponds instead of ten. Thank you!

[@ronnydio3824]

Simple mathematics helped me create 600lbs. Thanks for for very informative video

[@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

[@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

[@jimilite]

Grouse 👍👍thanks