Question

We purchased a Bokashi One system at christmas and are concerned that we don't seem to be getting much liquid waste. We have been following instructions (no chunky food, covering each layer with mix etc), I have emptied the container once and am onto our second container now. We got a total liquid waste out of the first container of under 100mls.
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Is this normal or am I expecting too much liquid waste? Do you need to lightly mist the food with water occasionally?
 

Answer

You should be getting more bokashi juice from your unit, and no it is not necessary to add water. Here are some tips:

• Make sure the grate that separates the solid waste from a catchment area is in place at the bottom of the bucket. 
  
  Some foods don’t produce much juice like bread, meat and pasta. Vegetable and fruit scraps have a high water content, and therefore produce more juice. Adding too much bokashi mix can result in little or no juice, as the mix absorbs the juice. Cold climates can also reduce the juice produced, however if the bucket is kept inside this should not be a problem.
   
• Sometimes taps are blocked or broken, if the tap is over turned it may break. 
  If your bucket is white, you can see if there is any juice in the bottom catchment. You could try putting a skewer inside the tap and put the bucket on the ledge of a table. As you open the tap look under it and you should be able to tell if the tap opens ok. The only other way to check is to empty the bucket, fill it with water and see if the tap works ok. If the tap is broken it can be replaced. I think as you have emptied your bucket, you would have noticed if this was an issue.

If you have any Bokashi related questions, feel free to contact one of our friendly team.