Christmas Compost

DaylandS photo courtesy Flickr

The minor excesses of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have given me a new eye for the kitchen compost bin. Generous friends filled the refrigerator with more than we could safely eat, and I will be feeding part of this bounty to the worms and, ultimately, to the robins.

I realized last night that a compost container holding only vegetable and fruit peels, coffee grounds, and the odd eggshell is a lovely, sweet-smelling thing.

Food that’s ready for the table is such a concentrated source of nutrients that it breaks down quickly into a rank mess, as good an argument against waste as any I have heard.

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INDEX 2009.10.26-12.28
Advent: 2009.12.07
Alexander the Great: 2009.12.10
Ambition: 2009.12.24
Animal rights: 2009.11.24
Antiques: 2009.11.01, 2009.11.02, 2009.10.30
Appliances: 2009.12.14, 2009.11.05, 2009.10.30
Architecture: 2009.12.17, 2009.10.28
Art: 2009.11.16
Arts and Crafts: 2009.12.23, 2009.11.16
Ash Wednesday: 2009.12.07
Automation: 2009.11.05
Aviation: 2009.11.03, 2009.10.27
Ayurvedic medicine: 2009.10.26
Baking: 2009.12.15
Beat’niks: 2009.11.16
Beckett, Samuel 2009.11.16, 2009.11.03
Bicycle: 2009.12.24
Birds: 2009.12.28, 2009.12.21, 2009.12.15
Black: 2009.11.17
Blackouts: 2009.11.12
Blue laws: 2009.11.16
Books: 2009.11.12
Candles: 2009.12.21, 2009.11.12
Carnival: 2009.12.07
Cashmere: 2009.12.10
Cats: 2009.12.15
Chafing dish: 2009.11.12
Change: 2009.12.11
Chase, Dookie: 2009.11.16
Chickweed: 2009.11.23
Child abuse: 2009.12.15
Child art: 2009.12.15
Child-rearing: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.15
Christmas: 2009.12.21, 2009.12.11, 2009.12.07
Cirtus detergent: 2009.12.10
Clarke, Arthur: 2009.10.27
Classicism: 2009.12.14, 2009.12.11
Clothing, field: 2009.12.10, 2009.12.03
Clutter: 2009.12.21, 2009.12.17
Coffee: 2009.11.05
Cold war: 2009.10.27
Cold weather: 2009.12.10
Colonial America: 2009.11.02
Combat art: 2009.11.16
Commercial art: 2009.11.16
Compost: 2009.12.28, 2009.11.23
Computer desks: 2009.12.14, 2009.10.28
Cooper-Hewitt Museum: 2009.11.02
Cost per use: 2009.12.10
Cotton: 2009.12.10
Craftsmanship: 2009.12.23
Crusoe, Thalassa 2009.11.25
Curtains: 2009.12.02
Currency: 2009.11.02
Dalmatia: 2009.12.23
Dance: 2009.12.23
Daylight: 2009.12.23, 2009.11.30
Delaware: 2009.11.02
De Pree, Max: 2009.11.16
Deliberation: 2009.12.23
Denim: 2009.12.10
Design: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.14, 2009.11.06
Diggers: 2009.11.04
Down bedding: 2009.12.02
Downsizing: 2009.12.14, 2009.11.03, 2009.10.30
Dust control: 2009.11.11
Early childhood education: 2009.12.23
Efficiency: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.17, 2009.12.14, 2009.12.11, 2009.11.11, 2009.11.03, 2009.10.30, 2009.10.28
Electric heat: 2009.11.05
Emergency preparedness: 2009.12.10, 2009.11.13, 2009.11.12
Energy conservation: 2009.12.10, 2009.12.02, 2009.11.05, 2009.10.26
English post-war housekeeping: 2009.12.10
Etiquette: 2009.11.02
Eye-hand coordination: 2009.12.23
Fire safety: 2009.11.12
Fire-starting: 2009.12.23
First aid: 2009.11.13
Fitness: 2009.10.26
Flax seed: 2009.10.26

Food: 2009.12.28
Fuller, Buckminster: 2009.11.16, 2009.10.27
Furnaces: 2009.11.05
Furniture: 2009.10.28
Gardening: 2009.12.15, 2009.11.25, 2009.11.23
Gates, Jr., Bill: 2009.10.27
Georgian style: 2009.11.30
Germ theory: 2009.12.02
Global warming: 2009.12.03, 2009.12.02, 2009.11.09, 2009.11.05, 2009.10.30
Gore, Al: 2009.11.09
Greenhouse effect: 2009.12.03
Greenhouse thermometers: 2009.12.02
Grinch: 2009.12.07
Grunge: 2009.11.04
Gullah Bible: 2009.12.04
Guy style: 2009.12.23, 2009.11.03, 2009.10.28
Hall space: 2009.10.28
Hand tools: 2009.12.23
Hardware store: 2009.11.04
Hawken, Paul:2009.10.27
Health: 2009.11.05
Heat: 2009.12.02, 2009.11.05
Heinlein, Robert A.:2009.10.27
Heirlooms: 2009.11.09, 2009.11.02, 2009.10.30
Herman Miller Furniture: 2009.11.16
High-tech interior: 2009.07.25
Hippies: 2009.11.04
Hiking: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.03, 2009.11.13, 2009.10.27
Homeland security: 2009.12.23
Hospitality: 2009.12.14, 2009.12.11, 2009.11.18
Housekeeping: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.14, 2009.12.03, 2009.11.11, 2009.10.28, 2009.10.28, 2009.10.27
Human-powered appliances: 2009.11.05
Hunting: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.15
Hunting music: 2009.12.23
Hurricane Katrina: 2009.11.13
Improvising: 2009.12.23, 2009.11.03, 2009.10.28
Incandescent light: 2009.11.05
Interior design: 2009.12.21, 2009.12.14, 2009.11.20, 2009.10.28, 2009.10.27
Jeans: 2009.12.10
Jekyll, Gertrude: 2009.11.25
Joy of Cooking: 2009.10.26
KEXP: 2009.12.07, 2009.11.1.6
King cake: 2009.12.07
Korean farm house: 2009.07.25
Kulanjan: 2009.12.23
Landscape design: 2009.12.15, 2009.12.01
Lappe’, Francis Moore: 2009.11.16
Laptop computer: 2009.12.24
Laundry: 2009.12.10, 2009.11.05, 2009.10.28, 2009.10.26
Lent: 2009.12.07
Ley, Willy: 2009.10.27
Long March: 2009.12.07
Mahal, Taj: 2009.12.23
Mali: 2009.12.23
Manual arts: 2009.12.23
Mendelson, Cheryl: 2009.12.11, 2009.12.10Messenger bag: 2009.12.21
Messenger bag: 2009.12.22
Meteorology: 2009.12.02
Mighty Mouse: 2009.11.13
Military uniforms: 2009.12.10
Moon landing: 2009.10.27
Motorcycles: 2009.11.17
Moving: 2009.12.22
Mulch: 2009.12.01
National parks:2009.12.23, 2009.10.27
Natural light: 2009.12.23, 2009.11.05
Natural resources:2009.12.23, 2009.12.15, 2009.10.27
Navy curtains: 2009.11.11
Navy Seals: 2009.11.09
New Orleans: 2009.12.07, 2009.11.13
New Year: 2009.12.24
Nutrition: 2009.10.26
Nylon: 2009.11.17
Off-grid: 2009.12.23, 2009.11.12
Olympic National Park: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.03
Organizing: 2009.12.22, 2009.12.17, 2009.12.14, 2009.11.03, 2009.10.28
Pacific Northwest maritime climate: 2009.12.10
Pellegrini, Angelo: 2009.11.16
Pest control: 2009.11.25
Pilates: 2009.11.16, 2009.11.03
Planning: 2009.12.24
Play dough: 2009.12.15
Pleasantville: 2009.07.25
Pocket knife: 2009.12.23
Privation: 2009.07.25
Pye, David: 2009.11.16
Radiant heat: 2009.11.05
Recycling: 2009.10.30, 2009.10.28
Refrigeration: 2009.10.26
Renaissance furniture: 2009.07.25
Reynault, Mary: 2009.12.10
Rocketdyne: 2009.10.27
Roman Catholic Church calendar: 2009.12.07
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano 2009.11.09
Rustic style: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.15, 2009.12.01
Sabbath: 2009.11.16
Sackville-West, Vita: 2009.11.25
Saturnalia: 2009.12.07
Sailboats: 2009.12.02
San Francisco: 2009.11.04
Santa Claus: 2009.12.07
Science fiction: 2009.10.27
Seasonal affective disorder: 2009.12.07
Self-respect: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.15
Shop safety: 2009.12.15
Shopping: 2009.11.09
Sierra Club: 2009.10.27
Silk: 2009.12.10
Silverware: 2009.11.02, 2009.10.30
Simplicity: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.17, 2009.12.15, 2009.12.14, 2009.12.11, 2009.11.302009.11.03
Skid Road: 2009.11.16
Slugs: 2009.11.25
Snail mail: 2009.10.28
Snow bath: 2009.12.03
Snow preparation: 2009.12.01
Solar heat: 2009.12.03
Solid fuel: 2009.11.05
Space: 2009.12.02, 2009.10.28, 2009.10.27
Stainless steel: 2009.10.30
Steel wool: 2009.11.11
Stone-age knife: 2009.12.23
Storage space: 2009.07.25
Sugar: 2009.10.26
Summer of Love: 2009.11.04
Survival: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.15, 2009.11.13, 2009.10.27
Swedish design: 2009.12.14, 2009.11.02
Swedish Nationalmuseum: 2009.11.02
Teaching: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.15
Technology and interior design: 2009.11.30
Ten Essentials: 2009.11.13
Thanksgiving: 2009.11.30
Tools: 2009.12.23
Traffic engineering: 2009.12.11, 2009.11.05
Trays: 2009.12.14
Typography: 2009.12.15
Twelfth Night: 2009.12.07
Ultralight culture: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.14, 2009.10.27
Urban wilderness: 2009.12.15, 2009.12.01
Value: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.14, 2009.11.09
Van Sant, Townes: 2009.11.16
Vegetables: 2009.12.15, 2009.11.23, 2009.10.26
Victorian style: 2009.12.23, 2009.12.21, 2009.12.14, 2009.11.30
Virginia City, NV: 2009.10.30
Wardrobe: 2009.11.17
Washing machines: 2009.11.05

Waste: 2009.12.28
Weather forecasting: 2009.12.02
Weed control: 2009.12.15, 2009.12.01
Week-end: 2009.11.06
Winter gardening: 2009.12.15, 2009.12.01, 2009.11.23
Wool: 2009.12.10
Workshop: 2009.12.23