Matt Kangas  

 My first blog entry is a basic subject, but an important one to me. One of my favorite things to do when time permits and the weather is reasonable is to fish.
I have shared this quite time with everyone in my life. Even my best dog, Bogey, who had way more fun splashing around in the water and making sure he chased all the fish away.  I usually use worms as my preferred bait. At a recent ecology fair at the community center in the town I live in, I spoke with a representative from a college about composting. The key ingredient in a compost pile or bin is WORMS.
The representative from Northern Illinois University had a 30-gallon plastic bin (like the ones you buy at the discount store for storing things in), which was being used as a composting station. On seeing this I was reminded of the days when my Dad would turn the compost pile on a hot summer day, and the smell that it gave off was BAD.
This bin, that was displayed open inside a small room, gave off no smell at all.
I was amazed. I struck up a conversation and learned the correct way to use a truly clean smelling compost bin that could be kept inside your home and not smell like a garbage dump.
I asked what the best recipe for a clean smelling compost bin would be and this is what I was told.
The secret is not to put any type of meat in the compost pile.
Use shredded newspaper and cardboard, no glossy paper since it repels water and doesn't breathe well. Find about 25 worms of your choice, add about 10 pounds of black dirt, and throw in some fruit and vegetable scraps. You need to spray liberally with a water bottle set on mist. The worms and compost need air so drill about 100 1/8" holes in the lid. Place in a room which has a temperature no lower than 50 degrees. Keep adding those ingredients and be sure to mist on a regular basis. Soon you will have plenty of worms and some pretty good plant food. All this for the cost of a bin and some garbage.
 In the past my wife and I would spend a lot of money on topsoil, cow manure and bone meal for our garden. We never thought of using our food waste in place of all that expensive stuff. Turns out vegetable and fruit scraps return vital nutrients to where you want them and the worm poop is better than cow poop because they filter out the bad stuff for you. Who would of thought?
 (We have all heard about Mad Cow (Denny Crane) disease, but I don't recall hearing anything about Mad Worm disease.) I feel safer with worm poop feeding my garden vegetables.
 Due to space limitations, I don't think I would keep the bin in our kitchen, but the laundry room may be an option in the colder months, and the garage in the warmer months will work.
So why not use this simple device rather than throwing away fruit and vegetable waste. Instead feed some worms, and later they'll give you back some great soil. It makes sense to me and saves money. 
It's the best fertilizer for the garden and when the worms reproduce, I get free fishing bait. Since the fish in the lake that I frequent are pretty smart, they get to eat. If I am lucky enough to catch one, I always return it gently back to the water for another day. Since I remove the barbs from my hooks the damage is minimal. I enjoy nature, catch a few fish, feed even more fish, always put them back and the cycle is complete.
 I hope you enjoyed my first entry to my blog. There will be more to come so please stay tuned and if you would like to comment or leave feedback, please do.