Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Technology Meets Food Rescue


Guest Blogger Karli Wood

If you're already composting, you know the immense amount of food that can go to waste. Thanks to ever-evolving technology, you can now make an even bigger impact on wasted food, often from the comfort of your own home.

Take a look at these three apps that are changing the game when it comes to reducing wasted food, rescuing food, and feeding people.


USDA FoodKeeper - This app offers multiple tools to reduce the food you waste in your home. Considering the fact that the average American family wastes approximately $1500 a year in uneaten food, you'll be saving money and resources. With food storage guides, cooking tips, and more, you'll be a pro in no time.

Olio - Picking up steam in the US, this app connects community members who have surplus food. Did you grow too many tomatoes? Post them on Olio and rejoice as your neighbors claim them for their summer dishes.



Food Rescue US - This app connects food donors with volunteers who transfer surplus food to community kitchens and food pantries. If you volunteer to transfer food, you are directly participating in feeding hungry neighbors!



While there are many similar apps on the market currently, these three are available and ready-to-use in Cincinnati and the surrounding areas. So, what are you waiting for? Download them today and expand your food rescue horizons.


Friday, June 1, 2018

Ode to a Worm



Digging in the dirt, I am reminded of your beauty
You wriggle quickly away from my spade
Please stay!
You are the air in my soil
You make it loose and richly brown
You add the nutrients my baby plants need
Thank you, my garden friend
And Happy Mother-Father’s Day!


You know your garden soil is healthy when it is alive with worms, but did you know the micro-nutrients produced through their castings are the true stars of compost? The earthworms in our yard tunnel through the soil providing vital air while increasing the micronutrients available to our plants.



If you can’t get enough good compost, perhaps are landlocked in an apartment or condo, you may want to try vermicomposting. Vermicomposting is done inside with special worms called "red wigglers." These worms are different than our earthworms and cannot survive in the heat of our summer or our frigid winters.  Their home is a bin you can make. The worm casting they provide are dense with microorganisms that in-turn provide an abundance of micro-nutrients our plants need to grow strong and fight diseases.

If you’d like more information about these special composters, please join us at the Civic Garden Center the evening of Tuesday, June 19. We are partnering with the Civic Garden Center to hold a special worm bin workshop where you can learn how to vermicompost and can even build your own worm bin if you choose. Learn more when you click here.


Post by guest-blogger and compost-lover Jenny Lohmann