Trash to treasure

The seasonal cycle reminds us of our dependence on the sun. For Alaskans, Winter Solstice means more daylight to contemplate the coming outdoor gardening and gathering seasons.

Right now under the snow, small creatures are busy eating leaves, husks of insects and berries. Later, even smaller creatures will add them to our native soil. Thinking about all of that makes me smile at the symmetry and poetry of the whole process.

The Creator makes beautiful systems that we should honor and humbly join. As E.B. White reportedly said, the best thing we can do for the Earth is to lay down in our compost pile. As my body ages and decays, I treasure its destination to soil in the not-too-distant future.

Today, as I stuff a sack of frozen veggies and old meat in plastic wrap in my trunk, I’m thankful that I am able to save the contents from the ignoble end of the landfill. Since my chickens prefer fresh veggies, the contents of that sack go to the compost pile (minus the packaging, of course). Yes, I put meat in my compost pile.

In my kitchen, I keep a covered container that holds two smaller containers. One is for the chickens and the other holds the stuff that goes straight to the compost. That includes coffee grounds and filter papers, wet paper towels, tea leaves, bones, fruit pits and peelings. The chickens get all of our table scraps, crushed egg shells and even refrigerator stuff I’ve forgotten until it’s too old for human consumption. A couple times a year, I clean out the chicken yard and house, and that goes to the compost as well. Since I’m a lazy person I don’t turn my pile; I just have three sections and use the oldest section first. The occasional dog, fox or magpie turn my pile rather haphazardly.

For more efficient composting techniques, there are lots of experts to consult. The Cooperative Extension Service’s Master Gardener class is a good start. On the Internet you’ll find references to humanure, proper carbon to nitrogen ratios and definitive lists of things to compost properly.

Malcolm Beck, commercial composter of everything, including horses, is an inspirational read. Cornell University’s Trautmann and Olynciw cover the topics of microorganisms active at different temperatures within the compost pile. Suit yourself.

When a life serves no further purpose alive, it can continue to serve a purpose in death by returning its nutrients to the planet. So please, return your kitchen and yard discards to the soil. If you don’t compost, you can always find a compost pile, including the community pile at the Big Lake transfer site. Put stuff in all winter and get compost and mulch out this spring. It’s all free of charge.

Sammy Taylor is an avid gardener who lives in the Big Lake area.