Kitchen Waste to Garden Fuel

Greetings again from the Chef’s Garden!

At Alderbrook, we believe in making the most of everything we have—especially when it comes to reducing food waste from our resort and restaurant. That’s why we’re excited to embrace Korean Natural Farming (KNF) methods in our garden. KNF is a sustainable gardening process where the focus is on using food or landscape waste (i.e., grass clippings) and naturally occurring microorganisms to break down nutrients into a form that plants can absorb. We’ve been busy creating nutrient-rich teas and ferments from items like banana peels, overripe apples, and carrot tops, each with its own special role in the garden. With apple season in full swing, we’ve been gathering fallen, rotten apples and fermenting them into a “bloom” fertilizer. This homemade concoction is perfect for boosting the growth and quantity of blooming flowers and vegetables.

Here are our steps to create your own apple “bloom” fertilizer:

• Collect material (apples), and do not wash or rinse off. This keeps the naturally occurring microorganisms in place.
• Weigh the apples and jot down the number.
• Cut up the apples into chunks.
• Add light brown sugar equivalent to the weight of the apples and mix.
• Place plant materials and sugar into a container and cover it with a breathable material like cheesecloth.
• Store out of light and away from extreme temperatures, and let sit for two weeks.
• Strain, and it will be shelf stable for up to a year.
• Dilute with water and use it on your flowering plants!

We’d be happy to chat about fertilizers anytime! Come visit us in the garden!
Amy, Dionisio, and Mike