the mushrooms in the fridge had gone a little funky, so they happily went to the compost today. Each day, I carry a shovel and the steel bowl of food remnants to small boundaried areas of the yard. I dig a shallow depression, deposit the coffee grounds, egg shells, sour milk, and peels and stems of cucumbers, strawberries, bananas, onions, apples, collards and the like into the hole, cover with an inch of earth and leaves and twigs. I then add a cup or two of water and leave it alone. That's it; nature swiftly goes to work.

my first compost project ended a few weeks ago. The depleted soil responded to the kitchen debris and to the rain (and perhaps to some gentle encouragement); there are tomatoes on the vines.