Bokashi is both a thing and a process. The thing bokashi is created using EM/BM, a microbial inoculant that has been activated by growing it onto bran. When activated bokashi bran is added to suitable bulk materials (such as food waste and animal bedding) in the relative absence of air, fermentation occurs, and in the process, it acidifies the material and renders it inhospitable to pathogens such as E. coli and salmonella. Better yet, the fermentation results in the proliferation of healthful microbes such as those found in yogurt.
You can purchase bokashi ready to use or make your own. To make bokashi, you’ll need a large bucket or another airtight container with a lid and a spigot, in which you add a blend of beneficial microbes to a grain bran substrate, fresh water, and molasses. The spigot is needed to drain the liquid that accumulates as the material decomposes.
Makes 10 pounds
10 cups water
4 tablespoons molasses
4 tablespoons EM/BM
10 pounds bran
Mix the water with the molasses to dissolve the molasses. Mix in the EM/BM. Then add the liquid to the bran and mix thoroughly. Squeeze some of the bran into a ball. It should hold its shape with no extra liquid. If it’s too dry, add a little more water. If it’s too wet, add a little more bran. When it’s just right, put the mixture into a sealed container, press it down to compact it, and place the container in a warm location. Let it ferment for at least two weeks.
When fermentation is complete, you may see white mold on the bokashi; this is good. If you see green or black mold, it means air got into the container or the mixture was too moist, and it should be discarded. Bokashi needs to ferment for at least two weeks and can then be dried for long-term storage (up to several years in a sealed container).