Composting

[Dean]

Whatever you do - don't put corn husks and silk into the TM31!  The husks wrap around the blades and stop operation.
Cheers,
K3

[Thermomixer]

Thanks Karen - haven't tried them - so will watch out for similar nasties.

[judydawn]

Must report that the soil where I have been burying the blitzed vegie scraps is looking good.  I even advised a friend who hasn't got a TMX to chop her scraps up in her food processor and she was wrapped with this idea instead of waiting so long for them to break down. She is from Brisbane and is coming down to stay with us in June - wonder if I will impress her enough with my TMX for her to go home and buy one for herself!

[Amanda]

I had to check out where you lived Thermomix-er when I read your reference to the slow combustion stove - felt sure you must have been from overseas somewhere.  No, Melbourne.  That was a surprise. Don't know too many people here with one of those cookers. 

That was in a house that we had in the country and it really was superb for stocks, casseroles, etc during the winter.  Slow roasting also was great.

My, you have been a busy boy today!

Finally catching up with all the posts. 

Judy, I live in Balhannah, in the Adelaide hills.  We have been here for 6 years and the very first thing I did when we moved in was to put in a slow-combustion wood stove!  We use it in the winter and it usually burns from late April/May until Septemberish.  I do most winter cooking on it and love everything about it - except the mess from wood and ash!!

[judydawn]

You certainly need one up there Amanda.  Love the idea of heating the house and cooking at the same time. I envy you.

[MrSpock]

[... the very first thing I did when we moved in was to put in a slow-combustion wood stove!  We use it in the winter and it usually burns from late April/May until Septemberish.  I do most winter cooking on it and love everything about it - except the mess from wood and ash!!

I don't know if you have this over there, but I use recycled logs made out of compressed sawdust. They heat 35% more than regular logs per volume, and make virtually no ash. They also release 58% less polluting particles in the air, so all around good stuff.

[andiesenji]

I used Tuffy, my TMX to shred a bunch of veggie/fruit scraps for my worm-composting bin. 
My regular compost system is full of leaves and the last of the trimmings from the garden and will be cooking, but obviously a bit slower in the colder weather. 
The soil here is very sandy (Mojave desert) and alkaline and since I moved here 21 years ago, I have been amending the soil to the point that anything grows here.  Even some things that I was told would NOT grow here.  I have two very hardy laurel nobilis tree/bushes - I use a lot of sweet bay leaves.  They were protected during the winter the first four or five years but no longer. 

The worm composting system is much more compact and I use the castings mostly for potting, seed sprouting, etc.  It's in a very well insulated bin to protect the worms when temps get well below freezing. 
The area where I live does have seasons. (Mostly hot and cold.)  At 3000 ft elevation, we do get some snow, the lowest temp I personally have experienced here is 2° F.  (- 16 C.)  a wee bit chilly.  The really old, old timers tell about the winter of 1959 when it got so cold the Joshua trees virtually exploded and then collapsed when the temps rose.  (There is much argument about the exact temp but it was at least 12 below zero (Fahrenheit) and very windy.  Some of the story tellers swear that it was 20 below and also that boiling water, poured from a first floor window would freeze before it hit the ground.)   Personally, I think these are tall tales.

Anyway, Tuffy did a great job on pulverizing my scraps.  I usually use the Vita-Mix but since Tuffy was handy, it got the job. 

[Thermomixer]

How does the Vita-Mix compare with the TMX for blitzing things?  Does it produce the same fineness of powder with nuts/chickpea flour etc?

[andiesenji]

How does the Vita-Mix compare with the TMX for blitzing things?  Does it produce the same fineness of powder with nuts/chickpea flour etc?

The Vita-Mix I have came with an alternate container (64 ounce) exclusively for dry grinding - the blades are different.  It will grind grains, nuts, dried peas to a fine flour.  However the volume is limited - it can only handle so much so one needs to do several small batches.
This is the reason I bought my Nutrimill a few years ago. 

I use the wet container for grinding table scraps - and nuts have to be in that container to produce nut butters.   It is more difficult to get pastes and such out of the Vita-Mix because of the narrow bottom of the container. 

Another reason that I bought the TMX is for making mustard.  I have been making my own for many years (homegrown as it grows like a week here and I can get 3 crops during the growing season) and used the Vita-Mix, again, having to do small batches at a time. 
Sometimes I use the Nutrimill to grind the mustard seeds into flour but that has to be done outside, preferably with a little wind to blow away the fine dust that escapes from the mill.  Otherwise it is very hard on the sinuses.

It is possible to "cook" with the Vita-Mix and I have often used it to make soups, it is the speed of the blades that heats the mixture, not an integral heating unit.   
I've owned Vita-Mix for more than thirty years and still have the first one - It has a stainless steel container - can't see what's happening inside, but the motor is powerful enough to still perform almost every task required.  (It gets hauled out for parties where guests want to make their own drinks!)

[Thermomixer]

Sometimes I use the Nutrimill to grind the mustard seeds into flour but that has to be done outside, preferably with a little wind to blow away the fine dust that escapes from the mill.  Otherwise it is very hard on the sinuses.

Thought that it may help clean the sinuses ? 

.... but the motor is powerful enough to still perform almost every task required.  (It gets hauled out for parties where guests want to make their own drinks!)

Very thoughtful !!

[gertbysea]

[

Sometimes I use the Nutrimill to grind the mustard seeds into flour but that has to be done outside, preferably with a little wind to blow away the fine dust that escapes from the mill.  Otherwise it is very hard on the sinuses.

]

Do you have a mustard recipe to share andiesenji?

Gretchen

[andiesenji]

I have a mustard recipe but it's not yet converted to the TMX - it is in US  measurements.  At the following link.

In fact, you might find this link helpful as there are other recipes in addition to mine
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/45451-making-your-own-condiments-mustard-others/page__p__637986__hl__condiments__fromsearch__1&#entry637986
There are three pages  and include recipes for banana ketchup, mushroom ketchup, sugar-free ketchup

Also there is this link.  I was half of a team that conducted a "class" on that forum:
There are photos that have been dropped from the first one.
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/69129-basic-condiments/page__p__944489__hl__condiments__fromsearch__1&#entry944489

And here is a link to the recipe and instructions for Duxelles.
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/59052-duxelles-a-photo-essay/

[gertbysea]

How wonderful. Thank you.

Gretchen

[medusa]

Just digging up an old post.  I brought my very first compost bin today (and am very excited, sad really).  It is on a stand and you can spin it.  I am going to shred up alot of paper work to get it going and then start adding food scraps etc.  I have read about adding brown and green etc.  Anything else i should know?

[andiesenji]

Just digging up an old post.  I brought my very first compost bin today (and am very excited, sad really).  It is on a stand and you can spin it.  I am going to shred up alot of paper work to get it going and then start adding food scraps etc.  I have read about adding brown and green etc.  Anything else i should know?

Add egg shells but not whole eggs, no meats or cheese  (I have added dry grated cheese that has lost its flavor but no "wet" cheeses)
Chop whole veg - don't throw in an entire head of lettuce - I have a utility table with a cutting board out next to the composter so I can do that outside (in good weather) saves some mess in the kitchen. 
!!! Do remember to bring your good knives inside or buy a cheapie one for outside!!!   I can show you a very large chef's knife that suffered from being left outside, under a piece of cloth, for a month.  Not a pretty sight.

There are numerous online sites that give excellent advice about composting.   I do both regular composting and worm composting and the latter gets coffee grounds and tea leaves, as the worms seem to really appreciate these.