I had a dehydrator machine when the kids were little to make fruit leather. I probably sold it in a garage sale 30 years ago! Oh well. I won't show my worms this video so they won't know what they're missing. ~ Sandra
Haha! Your poor worms are missing out! Not really - you treat your worms great!! I haven’t made fruit leather specifically but when the veggie slurry is thin it dehydrates into fruit leather 😎. Thanks for stopping by 🤗
I pressure cooked my pumpkin and canned the nice interior for myself to make pie sometime. The outside part of the pumpkin I saved, puréed and it’s in my Cosari dehydrator right now. (At 135 degrees. )That will be powdered for my worms.
Perfect! Everyone gets to enjoy pumpkin YUM! I made Seminole pumpkin pie (grew the pumpkins myself) for thanksgiving. It tasted just as good (as in the same!) as Libby’s. I’m a picky eater (🙄) so if it was off on texture or taste I’d know it!! But it was spot on. Isn’t it wonderful to grow something and use every bit of it?? Thanks for sharing your story ❤️🪱🪱
@@juliepoolie5494 Seminole pumpkins are native to Florida so I have a good chance at success. It was the first time I grew pumpkins. Mine came out small - it was pre-castings days 😆. But I had lots of them so they added up to many pies worth of filling. The cows enjoyed the rinds. This time I’ll probably save the rinds for the worms! 👍❤️🪱
Jane thanks for sharing your veggie powder recipe and method. I use a slightly different method: chop the veggies finely in my Kitchen Aid food processor, then put the mixture in a colander to drain off as much liquid/juice as possible to reduce drying time (I save the liquid either in fridge or freezer to use later when making composted bedding). I also have the Excalibur dehydrator but with the original poly screen perforated mats, (so the "slurry" consistency you aim for will not work for me). The burr coffee grinder comes in handy to create the veggie powder from the dehydrated bits.
Hi Mal! How are you? Your process is great! I too save any excess liquid, including the blender rinse out water, for making pre-compost or even the next batch h of veggie powder slurry 👍. Your chop and drain so you can use the mesh screens is prefect. While I have those screens too (as you saw at the end of the video) I really do like the silicone lipped trays a lot! I use them dehydrating banana chips as well. They’re easier to clean than the mesh trays I think. Buy hey, use what you’ve got! I’m glad you’re making the powder. It’s useful for many things! Thanks for sharing your process!👍❤️🪱
My frozen worm food is taking space so guess what? LOL, it's dehydration time! I used to make leather fruit and dehydrate veggies, so this is not new for me, but I'm excited to make some dry chow for my 4 month old worm bins. Thanks for sharing! I have learned much from you, even started pre-compost! The only thing I did different in my first dehydration chow was to let the frozen veggies drain in a colander and use the juice for the pre-compost. Thanks for all your amazing videos! Tell camera man "Hi!", you couldn't do this without the man behind the lens!
@@lisalarson938 Double duty for the frozen food! Food to dehydrate and juice for the more-compost - love it! I get the juice from the yucky vegs too and use that for pre/compost too. Exact same idea 👍 Isn’t great to dig that dehydrator out and get some more use out of it?! I’d say you’re making veggie powder vs worm chow 💕. But I also dehydrate leaves from food plants to use in my worm chow - it’s the greens part of grains & greens worm chow 😝. I just called Cameraman to read him your comment - as if his head isn’t big enough already 🤩. But you’re right - his camera work really helps illustrate the info I’m trying to share. Teamwork baby! 😎👍🤩🪱
Hi Jayne! The worms are coming along. I sorta lost sight of them for a few days. Couldn't find them in my setup, and I was a bit worried, but I just kept on. I knew I had my moisture right, and checked up on them today. I found about 10 of them, so I stopped looking. My bin has a great bedding, some leaves and coffee grounds and I put a few pinches of veggie powder in there about every 3 days. I am hoping after another month or so, I can see real progress, but our basement is a bit cool, about 68 degrees. The heating pad just dries it out, so I think as the winter goes on, its just going to be slow hatching. Thanks again, thought I would give you an update!
Hi Lee! Thanks for the update on the cocoons you bought from me 😍. Your bedding does sound great 👍. I agree with you that the lower temperature is going to slow hatch down quite a bit. You’re in your own slow down zone with a sorta false fall/winter happening. But no worries! When it warms back up they’ll be popping out just fine 🪱. Giving pinches of veggie powders all you need for the few hatchlings you have right now. Veggie powder is powerful stuff as it’s so concentrated. You’re doing a great job!! ❤️❤️🪱
Hiya, hope it’s ok for me to make a suggestion…. I have found the same issues with it being cooler/cold. It’s down to 34f here(0-3c) every night and some days it’s not much above. Hit us fast and cold- unusual for uk weather. Anyways back to topic- what I’ve done with my cacoons in put them in a small bucket/ tub with some coco coir/pear moss etc and keep that quite wet…. And have the heating mat on- I’m doing this in the house as it’s only for while they hatch not for growing them on- once they have hatched and I see little worms moving around I’ve moved them into another little container and taken them outta the house to main worm sores- so your basement area. This may be helpful to you… you may say you don’t want them in the house- I understand. It’s just an idea if you wanna get them hatched. Hopefully this helps. Don’t forget depending how many caccons you have- it doesn’t need to be a 5G bucket - just something maybe 1g. Then as you see them - feed a little power to the top and they will come for it and you can move them out- I managed to move out about 100worms in one go as they all at the top. And ment with the heat mat and sensor- I got different sensors as the heat mat ones are expensive. But with that you can keep eye on the moisture. I maybe add moisture once a week- ifs it’s warm in the house maybe 2 times . But as I say mine are in a 1 gallon bucket and half full. As I know they won’t be staying in there forever. Sorry for essay (I have autism and need things explained well so I explain this as best I can but can mean an essay others say in 3 sentences) lol Hope you are ok with me suggesting. Take cake and enjoy your worms.
@@cherylhowker1792 Thank you for your suggestion Cheryl. I appreciate it. I have raised my little hatching bin off of the heat pad, so that it doesn't dry them out as much, and I apply a slight mist to it every day. I also put a small piece of a banana peel in there to attract the worms so I can count them every couple of days. I am ok with the hatching going on longer than usual. I am getting other pieces together for the long term as well. Thank you for your ideas and advice. I appreciate them, no matter the length. Happy Worming!
I have been following you now for a week and can't stop watching your videos. . I have learned a lot from you. I have been raising red wiggler since 2015 for selling worm castings at a local market. And educating others as I go. Now I have a lot more info to teach my students. My business is Gospel Urban Farmer, a small teaching farm. I would love to connect with you.
Thank you! That’s a really nice compliment 😍. I’m so glad you’re learning from the crazy things I do and then passing on your knowledge to others! Fantastic! Absolutely you can reach out to me😊. Just email me at RockinWFamilyFarm@gmail.com 👍🪱🪱
Good morning my fellow worm wrangler from Jesus and me! Not sure if I shared with you about how i make my veggie powder. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Put the chunks, peelings, seeds and whatever else I have (including egg shells) onto the cookie sheets. Chunks of veg will take longer than peelings or shredded things. Use lowest temp setting on your oven. Mine is 170. Check about every 3 hours or so for dryness When crispy, it's done. Grind in blender, food processor or Bullet blender. Store in containers with TIGHT lid. I've had no problem with molding or moisture getting into the containers. My red wiggler guys and gald simply yum it up.
Hi Victoria! If you don’t have a dehydrator then using the oven at the lowest setting is a decent alternative. It’s not quite the same but close enough is good enough in this case! You’re right about the tight lid. Definitely have to keep moist air out. It’s not a loss if the veg powder does clump or mold - the worms will eat it up the same - but it’s nicer to use if it’s clean and dry 😊. I’m glad you have your process down! It’s awesome to be able to have easy worm food on hand and not take up precious freezer space! You combine many ingredients at the powdering stage - that’s cool too 👍. There’s so many ways that work. I bet your worms love your mix!! Thanks for sharing! ❤️👍🪱
I have in the past made dried vegetable scraps. I cut up food scraps in a five gallon bucket with a flat shovel. When the scraps are somewhat uniform I dump them out on a old piece of plywood and cover with old sliding glass door screen. When I walk by and have time I use a old spatula to turn and mix. After two or three days depending on the weather of course. I end up with dry food scraps to use when garden scraps are not as plentiful. Be careful adding these directly to bin amounts to use can be deceiving. Pre composting is the best way to use these scraps in bedding. 😎
@@RockinWorms We have raccoons,opossums,skunks etc. I built a 6 foot fence around the backyard and made it so are two little dogs couldn’t get out. The back yard belongs to them and they’re kinda like me they don’t like visitors vary much lol 😆. I’ve only had to wash skunk off of one dog @2:00am🤪 Now that you have mentioned it. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen any critters they must have gotten tired of getting chased up and over the fence!
@@jimwyatt6652 We’ve got all of those plus a few more. In fact I’m dealing with a couple of possums that have decided my chicken shed is a nice place to be at night 😡. In the nest box/dog crate in fact. Major PIA. Leaving food out simply isn’t an option (not even in an outdoor garbage can unless I want to play 52 pick up the next morning!). We don’t have dogs (too much traveling) but they sure do help keep the critters down. 2 legged ones as well 🤣🤣🤣.
i have a vitamix so i've never tried a food processor but i have seen videos where capt matt does. i haven't seen all of capt matt's videos but what i have noticed is he has used them for larger vegetables, mainly potatoes. thinking back, i can't remember a time a food processor would have worked better than my vitamix but we have to work with what we have. also, you mentioning the oil content of juice, that would make a great wetting agent if hydrophobic soil ever becomes a problem for you. hope you had a great thanksgiving !!!
Hi Ron! I had a great thanksgiving- how was yours? The videos I’ve seen of Captain Matt is where he’s used a garbage disposal to grind foods up. I plan on working toward that tool myself and save the wear on my vitamix 👍 The oil had to do with the avocados. The ‘regular’ juice I use isn’t oily at all. It’s corn, beet, peppers, watermelon, etc juice. The avocados released their oil and made a top slick of the oil over the dehydrated avocado meat. I ended up soaking up the oil with used napkins and using them slowly in worm bins. The dehydrated avocado I tore into strips and used that to make new batches of veggie powder where it was mixed in with lots of other veggies. Worked fine. I don’t know anything about hydrophobic soil! Is that something you have to deal with?? ❤️🪱
@@RockinWorms this past summer when our temps went soaring into the 120s hydrophobic soil did become a problem for me on the west end of my garden. one of the drawbacks of using black growbags. when i saw capt matt using a food processor was when he was preparing food for his breeder bins. i wasn't aware that matt had a garbage disposal now but i have seen researchers using a disposal to grind material to produce biogas. i would be thrilled to have the problem of needing a disposal to handle that quantity of food waste for my compost & my worms. thanksgiving was fine this year. our weather kind of sucked so we stayed home here.
@@roncatlin7271 Wow! 120F - I’m melting just thinking about that. I can see where black grow bags would exacerbate heat and water issues. Yes captn Matt uses a garbage disposal at least for is big bins. He May do something different with his breeders. I haven’t seen a breeder video from him in a while. I was wanting to go the disposal route for some time now but my veg guy situation took a sudden turn to the worse and I don’t know what’s going to happen there. I may lose my supply of yucky fruits and veg 😳😢. Have to see how it plays out. Glad your thanksgiving was good. Weather sucked in a lot of places 😡. Take care! ❤️🪱
@@RockinWorms I don’t have a dehydrator. Right now I blend my worm food and freeze it weekly… and that cadence works out well for me right now, but I’m glad to see how you do it. Looks good!
@@amywaggoner822 Hi Amy! So you’re feeding your worms veggie slurry? Captain Matt does that. How do you manage the moisture in your bins? When I tried it my bins got so wet so fast 😡. I’d love to hear more about how you’re doing this! 🪱🪱🪱
This is great, I’ve been doing veggie powder since learning about it from you but have wondered if I was doing it the same way you would. I got a nice little dehydrator on marketplace and the same silicone trays from Amazon. I crumple up and rub the silicone tray against itself to break it up and then fold and dump it in the blender. Was pleased with how well those mats washed up too, very easy. Love all the great tips and am looking forward to learning the many ways to use it and the instant pot video when you’re ready to share.
Hi Monica! I really like the silicone mats. I use them a lot. They’ve clean up very easily which I love. Marketplace have some awesome deals! Good for you finding a dehydrator there 👍. Whatever way works best for you to get the dry sheets into the blender is the way to go 😎. Your cocoon hatchlings (from me!) will be eating the veggie powder soon! ❤️🪱🪱
Good morning, Jayne, from Windermere Florida zone 9b I think you need to have an anger management class😂😅😂 I dehydrate some of my peels and some go in frozen to the worms. I really like your advice on shelf ready👍i do add some of those packets to keep things fresh. I hope you have a great market for your Veggie Powder👍 ❤Peggy❤
Hi Peggy! Who doesn’t like pounding the heck out of something once in a while?! Haha! I’ve watched your excellent video where you’ve shown both powdered and frozen banana peels 👍. Shelf stable does really help with storage options ❤️🪱
I very much like your veggie powder idea!!! I grow lots of herbs and I dry and store them in the season. Nettles and other plants the same. And I realised I have many ingredients in my storage, already dehydrated. I dehydrated cut up banana peals for example and stored them for I don’t know why. Until now! So I’m going to look what I have in storage from last year, grind it and use that in the chow as well. Thanks for sharing your recipe. And kudos to your husband/cameraman/producer/director! It must be fun to do this together.
That’s great Milly! You were pre-planning veggie powder and didn’t even know it 😆. I use a ton of banana peels in my worm bins. In veggie powder form, as part of slurry to make pre-compost, cooked in the instant pot as a veggie right into the bins. There’s no reason for a banana peel to ever hit the garbage can! 🤣❤️🪱
Hello! Please do give it a try 👍. It’s a great way to save and store dry worm food without using limited freezer and fridge space. If you make some please come back and share your experience with us 🤩🪱
@@roseannejacquette9347 Oh no! Not a dead Excalibur 😩. Mine are used so who know how long they’ll last 🤷♂️🤞. A cheap dehydrator is fine. You don’t have to be too worried about exact temps and stuff. Just get it as dry as you can for storage. But even if you have a batch get moldy later in the worms will love it even more 👍🤩. Here’s the link for the veggie powder feeding: Do Red Wigglers Love Vegetable Powder? Plus Grow Out Bin Feed and Refresh ruclips.net/video/7xKX0io9KXo/видео.html It’s a long video so the short version is a light sprinkle to begin with and adjust from there. Veggie powder is very concentrated so a little goes a long way. Good luck! 🪱🪱
Thank you so much for the lesson. I loved having someone to show me how to do something. I can read it but I am a show me kind of person. Cant wait till I get to make some worm food. Mine are probably starving.😊
You are very welcome! We all learn differently so it’s good to have shows AND tells 👍. I always think my worms are starving but when I do they a bin I find more food particles than expected. But yeah, they love the veggie powder 👍. ❤️🪱🪱
I keep my grit and calcium separate too for the same reason. I use more of one than the other as needed 👍. Glad I’m not the only one that does this 😆. Thanks for sharing!👍❤️🪱
Hi Victor! How have you been? How long does it take for whole veggies to dehydrate? I’ve accidentally dried out whole beets in the fridge and they’re like rocks. What do you use to grind the vegetables? Really interested to hear more on how you do it. ❤️🪱
@@RockinWorms I have a homemade sun oven. Its big enough that I put a large aluminum turkey pan and 2 - 8x8 aluminum square pan. Since Im in no rush. I load all the pans and Some time I forget and I may have out for a week. I do slice my veggie . Just so it could dehydrate a bit better. I also make my bone meal this way. I boil the meat off the bone . Then I cut the bone in smaller pieces with a kitchen sheers. I dehydrate everything at the same time. Once it’s all dry I use one of the larger bullet to make it a powder.
@@victorm7274 Thanks for the further explanation 👍. Slicing the veg helps on several ways. I didn’t get that you sliced when you said ‘whole’. Sun ovens are so neat! Did you build it yourself? And another user of the bullet! 👍🪱
@@RockinWorms I built my sun oven about 7 yrs ago. It seen better days but it still working. Yeah I mean I just don’t blend it first but I do chop my veggie in to smaller pieces . Just so it could dehydrate better.
@@victorm7274 Ah, I was in better shape 7 years ago too! 😳🙄🤣. That’s awesome you built it. Will you replace it when the time comes? Since I am using electricity it’s worth the small added time and additional cost of more electricity (the blender) to speed the whole process up. Some worm wranglers don’t want to use electricity for worm related activities. Which I get. But I also consider the worms as part of my feed chain (feeding them feeds my plants which I eat) and I use electricity for other food activities. I also already have all the equipment I use to make worm foods (veggie powder and worm chow) so I’m getting value out of money already spent 😎. And if I buy stuff used that’s added environmental value. Your sun oven takes it even further! Love it!😍
What are your thoughts on adding in your eggshell grit and Coffee grounds into the vegi powder? (I don't use coffee in my bedding) Normally I have been keeping the coffee and Egg amenities separate but the idea of putting it all together for simplicity seems like a good idea.
Hi Shaun! You can combine all the dry ingredients if it’s easier for you. I don’t because I’m making videos and feel it’s more instructive for worm wranglers to see the individual ingredients and have me talk about options as well. Always be aware that veggie powder that’s dehydrated is highly concentrated and needs to be used in moderation. It’s also important to always remember that worm bins and compost bins are NOT the same and you have to be aware of possible heating up in worm bins when adding things like veggie powder, coffee grounds, worm chow, food scraps, etc. It’s all about balance 🪱🪱😎
So I found a bunch of cocoons and brought them in and started a bin a month ago. Checked them 2 days ago, no leftover food no cocoons and no visible worms. Did I actually just start a biota bin? Or should i just wait longer??
Hi Amy! I’d wait a bit longer. I’d place a sheet of newspaper over the bin top as well. It can take several weeks but you should see the newspaper being consumed. Also worms like to hang out on top of the paper so that can make them easier to see. You can also make a small - and I mean small - food pile to see if it lures any worms in. That can also make little worm easier to see. These cocoons you found - were they from a worm bin or outside, wild cocoons? Do you know what species the cocoons are/were?
@@amyleader5147 Ok. Then I’d do what I suggested and give it another month or so. The wild cocoons might be more triggered by spring’s weather signals than captive worms. 🤷♂️🪱
Hay hun, I have a load of veg peelings mum brought me- can I dehydrate them and use them? Should I slurry them or just dehydrate the pealing? There’s carrots, parsnips, potato, sweet potato think that’s it.
Hi Cheryl. Nice gift from mom! Personally I’d slurry them and then dehydrate and make veggie powder simply because that what I always do 🙄😎. I know several commenters have shared they dehydrate the vegetables after chopping them up and do not make a slurry. Then they powder the dried chunks. I want to give that method a try but haven’t yet so I can’t personally attest to how it works, any pros or cons, etc. regardless of which method you use, please report back your experience!👍❤️🪱
@@RockinWorms ok well I’ll try the peelings then as they are. Can put some on tonight overnight and see where we are tomorrow and will let ya know. Thanks xxx
That’s 5 trays in for 16 hrs lol see how they do but I can see from yours that boot leather is the feature I want lol I never expected it to look like that.
My mum says my new air fryer has a dehydrator setting on it- but for like 40mins. So gonna have to look into that coz if it’s quicker and cheaper then may be easier for me. But need to look into it.
@@cherylhowker1792 Hi. Some of the instant pot pressure cookers are supposed to have a dehydrator setting as well. I tried to get one but while the item picture showed the setting the actual machine being sold didn’t have it 😡. I’d be interested in hearing your results if/when you try it 👍🪱
Hi Eleanor! How have you been? Yes, I don’t use my big food processor nearly as much as I thought I would. 😬😡. Maybe you can haunt marketplace or thrift stores etc and find a cheap used blender…? I wouldn’t want to muse a stick blender to turn the dried sheets into powder!! That would be a mess for sure 😳
Great video Jayne . I’m all set to make my batch of veggie powder tomorrow now I’ve seen how you make it. Time to get my machines unboxed and working for my worms. 🪱 ❤
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I had a dehydrator machine when the kids were little to make fruit leather. I probably sold it in a garage sale 30 years ago! Oh well. I won't show my worms this video so they won't know what they're missing.
~ Sandra
Haha! Your poor worms are missing out! Not really - you treat your worms great!!
I haven’t made fruit leather specifically but when the veggie slurry is thin it dehydrates into fruit leather 😎.
Thanks for stopping by 🤗
I pressure cooked my pumpkin and canned the nice interior for myself to make pie sometime. The outside part of the pumpkin I saved, puréed and it’s in my Cosari dehydrator right now. (At 135 degrees. )That will be powdered for my worms.
Perfect! Everyone gets to enjoy pumpkin YUM! I made Seminole pumpkin pie (grew the pumpkins myself) for thanksgiving. It tasted just as good (as in the same!) as Libby’s. I’m a picky eater (🙄) so if it was off on texture or taste I’d know it!! But it was spot on.
Isn’t it wonderful to grow something and use every bit of it?? Thanks for sharing your story ❤️🪱🪱
@@RockinWorms I’m impressed you grew your pumpkin too! I hope mine tastes like Libby too! Lol. I’ve never grown pumpkins , maybe someday.
@@juliepoolie5494 Seminole pumpkins are native to Florida so I have a good chance at success. It was the first time I grew pumpkins. Mine came out small - it was pre-castings days 😆. But I had lots of them so they added up to many pies worth of filling. The cows enjoyed the rinds. This time I’ll probably save the rinds for the worms! 👍❤️🪱
Jane thanks for sharing your veggie powder recipe and method. I use a slightly different method: chop the veggies finely in my Kitchen Aid food processor, then put the mixture in a colander to drain off as much liquid/juice as possible to reduce drying time (I save the liquid either in fridge or freezer to use later when making composted bedding). I also have the Excalibur dehydrator but with the original poly screen perforated mats, (so the "slurry" consistency you aim for will not work for me). The burr coffee grinder comes in handy to create the veggie powder from the dehydrated bits.
Hi Mal! How are you? Your process is great! I too save any excess liquid, including the blender rinse out water, for making pre-compost or even the next batch h of veggie powder slurry 👍.
Your chop and drain so you can use the mesh screens is prefect. While I have those screens too (as you saw at the end of the video) I really do like the silicone lipped trays a lot! I use them dehydrating banana chips as well. They’re easier to clean than the mesh trays I think. Buy hey, use what you’ve got!
I’m glad you’re making the powder. It’s useful for many things!
Thanks for sharing your process!👍❤️🪱
My frozen worm food is taking space so guess what? LOL, it's dehydration time! I used to make leather fruit and dehydrate veggies, so this is not new for me, but I'm excited to make some dry chow for my 4 month old worm bins. Thanks for sharing! I have learned much from you, even started pre-compost! The only thing I did different in my first dehydration chow was to let the frozen veggies drain in a colander and use the juice for the pre-compost. Thanks for all your amazing videos! Tell camera man "Hi!", you couldn't do this without the man behind the lens!
@@lisalarson938 Double duty for the frozen food! Food to dehydrate and juice for the more-compost - love it! I get the juice from the yucky vegs too and use that for pre/compost too. Exact same idea 👍
Isn’t great to dig that dehydrator out and get some more use out of it?! I’d say you’re making veggie powder vs worm chow 💕. But I also dehydrate leaves from food plants to use in my worm chow - it’s the greens part of grains & greens worm chow 😝.
I just called Cameraman to read him your comment - as if his head isn’t big enough already 🤩. But you’re right - his camera work really helps illustrate the info I’m trying to share. Teamwork baby! 😎👍🤩🪱
Hi Jayne! The worms are coming along. I sorta lost sight of them for a few days. Couldn't find them in my setup, and I was a bit worried, but I just kept on. I knew I had my moisture right, and checked up on them today. I found about 10 of them, so I stopped looking. My bin has a great bedding, some leaves and coffee grounds and I put a few pinches of veggie powder in there about every 3 days. I am hoping after another month or so, I can see real progress, but our basement is a bit cool, about 68 degrees. The heating pad just dries it out, so I think as the winter goes on, its just going to be slow hatching.
Thanks again, thought I would give you an update!
Hi Lee! Thanks for the update on the cocoons you bought from me 😍. Your bedding does sound great 👍. I agree with you that the lower temperature is going to slow hatch down quite a bit. You’re in your own slow down zone with a sorta false fall/winter happening. But no worries! When it warms back up they’ll be popping out just fine 🪱.
Giving pinches of veggie powders all you need for the few hatchlings you have right now. Veggie powder is powerful stuff as it’s so concentrated. You’re doing a great job!! ❤️❤️🪱
Hiya, hope it’s ok for me to make a suggestion….
I have found the same issues with it being cooler/cold. It’s down to 34f here(0-3c) every night and some days it’s not much above. Hit us fast and cold- unusual for uk weather.
Anyways back to topic- what I’ve done with my cacoons in put them in a small bucket/ tub with some coco coir/pear moss etc and keep that quite wet…. And have the heating mat on- I’m doing this in the house as it’s only for while they hatch not for growing them on- once they have hatched and I see little worms moving around I’ve moved them into another little container and taken them outta the house to main worm sores- so your basement area.
This may be helpful to you… you may say you don’t want them in the house- I understand. It’s just an idea if you wanna get them hatched.
Hopefully this helps.
Don’t forget depending how many caccons you have- it doesn’t need to be a 5G bucket - just something maybe 1g. Then as you see them - feed a little power to the top and they will come for it and you can move them out- I managed to move out about 100worms in one go as they all at the top. And ment with the heat mat and sensor- I got different sensors as the heat mat ones are expensive.
But with that you can keep eye on the moisture. I maybe add moisture once a week- ifs it’s warm in the house maybe 2 times . But as I say mine are in a 1 gallon bucket and half full. As I know they won’t be staying in there forever.
Sorry for essay (I have autism and need things explained well so I explain this as best I can but can mean an essay others say in 3 sentences) lol
Hope you are ok with me suggesting.
Take cake and enjoy your worms.
@@cherylhowker1792 Thank you for your suggestion Cheryl. I appreciate it. I have raised my little hatching bin off of the heat pad, so that it doesn't dry them out as much, and I apply a slight mist to it every day.
I also put a small piece of a banana peel in there to attract the worms so I can count them every couple of days.
I am ok with the hatching going on longer than usual. I am getting other pieces together for the long term as well.
Thank you for your ideas and advice. I appreciate them, no matter the length.
Happy Worming!
I have been following you now for a week and can't stop watching your videos. . I have learned a lot from you. I have been raising red wiggler since 2015 for selling worm castings at a local market. And educating others as I go. Now I have a lot more info to teach my students. My business is Gospel Urban Farmer, a small teaching farm. I would love to connect with you.
Thank you! That’s a really nice compliment 😍. I’m so glad you’re learning from the crazy things I do and then passing on your knowledge to others! Fantastic! Absolutely you can reach out to me😊. Just email me at RockinWFamilyFarm@gmail.com 👍🪱🪱
I use the food processor on corn cobs works great going to test on some stems of pumpkins soon is the next feeding 😊
Corn cobs! I’ve got those! Do you rough chop the cobs first? Are you milling them down to use as or as part of worm chow? ❤️🪱
Good morning my fellow worm wrangler from Jesus and me!
Not sure if I shared with you about how i make my veggie powder.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Put the chunks, peelings, seeds and whatever else I have (including egg shells) onto the cookie sheets.
Chunks of veg will take longer than peelings or shredded things.
Use lowest temp setting on your oven. Mine is 170.
Check about every 3 hours or so for dryness
When crispy, it's done.
Grind in blender, food processor or Bullet blender.
Store in containers with TIGHT lid.
I've had no problem with molding or moisture getting into the containers.
My red wiggler guys and gald simply yum it up.
Hi Victoria! If you don’t have a dehydrator then using the oven at the lowest setting is a decent alternative. It’s not quite the same but close enough is good enough in this case!
You’re right about the tight lid. Definitely have to keep moist air out. It’s not a loss if the veg powder does clump or mold - the worms will eat it up the same - but it’s nicer to use if it’s clean and dry 😊. I’m glad you have your process down! It’s awesome to be able to have easy worm food on hand and not take up precious freezer space!
You combine many ingredients at the powdering stage - that’s cool too 👍. There’s so many ways that work. I bet your worms love your mix!! Thanks for sharing! ❤️👍🪱
I have in the past made dried vegetable scraps. I cut up food scraps in a five gallon bucket with a flat shovel. When the scraps are somewhat uniform I dump them out on a old piece of plywood and cover with old sliding glass door screen. When I walk by and have time I use a old spatula to turn and mix. After two or three days depending on the weather of course. I end up with dry food scraps to use when garden scraps are not as plentiful. Be careful adding these directly to bin amounts to use can be deceiving. Pre composting is the best way to use these scraps in bedding. 😎
I like it! It’s not something feasible for me though. Too many wild animals 🙄. Why do they not bother your scraps?? What’s your secret??
@@RockinWorms We have raccoons,opossums,skunks etc. I built a 6 foot fence around the backyard and made it so are two little dogs couldn’t get out. The back yard belongs to them and they’re kinda like me they don’t like visitors vary much lol 😆. I’ve only had to wash skunk off of one dog @2:00am🤪 Now that you have mentioned it. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen any critters they must have gotten tired of getting chased up and over the fence!
@@jimwyatt6652 We’ve got all of those plus a few more. In fact I’m dealing with a couple of possums that have decided my chicken shed is a nice place to be at night 😡. In the nest box/dog crate in fact. Major PIA. Leaving food out simply isn’t an option (not even in an outdoor garbage can unless I want to play 52 pick up the next morning!). We don’t have dogs (too much traveling) but they sure do help keep the critters down. 2 legged ones as well 🤣🤣🤣.
Hi Jayne! I use my nutrabullet. Each cup is the exact amount that fits on my dehydrating trays. Thanks for showing your process! 💕
Hi Marva! Man, that’s handy! Easy measurement then 👍. I’ve heard many good things about the nutribullet. I keep thinking that I need to get one! ❤️🪱
@@RockinWormsa Christmas gift to the worms!!!!! Lol xxx
i have a vitamix so i've never tried a food processor but i have seen videos where capt matt does. i haven't seen all of capt matt's videos but what i have noticed is he has used them for larger vegetables, mainly potatoes. thinking back, i can't remember a time a food processor would have worked better than my vitamix but we have to work with what we have. also, you mentioning the oil content of juice, that would make a great wetting agent if hydrophobic soil ever becomes a problem for you. hope you had a great thanksgiving !!!
Hi Ron! I had a great thanksgiving- how was yours?
The videos I’ve seen of Captain Matt is where he’s used a garbage disposal to grind foods up. I plan on working toward that tool myself and save the wear on my vitamix 👍
The oil had to do with the avocados. The ‘regular’ juice I use isn’t oily at all. It’s corn, beet, peppers, watermelon, etc juice.
The avocados released their oil and made a top slick of the oil over the dehydrated avocado meat. I ended up soaking up the oil with used napkins and using them slowly in worm bins. The dehydrated avocado I tore into strips and used that to make new batches of veggie powder where it was mixed in with lots of other veggies. Worked fine.
I don’t know anything about hydrophobic soil! Is that something you have to deal with?? ❤️🪱
@@RockinWorms this past summer when our temps went soaring into the 120s hydrophobic soil did become a problem for me on the west end of my garden. one of the drawbacks of using black growbags. when i saw capt matt using a food processor was when he was preparing food for his breeder bins. i wasn't aware that matt had a garbage disposal now but i have seen researchers using a disposal to grind material to produce biogas. i would be thrilled to have the problem of needing a disposal to handle that quantity of food waste for my compost & my worms. thanksgiving was fine this year. our weather kind of sucked so we stayed home here.
@@roncatlin7271 Wow! 120F - I’m melting just thinking about that. I can see where black grow bags would exacerbate heat and water issues.
Yes captn Matt uses a garbage disposal at least for is big bins. He May do something different with his breeders. I haven’t seen a breeder video from him in a while. I was wanting to go the disposal route for some time now but my veg guy situation took a sudden turn to the worse and I don’t know what’s going to happen there. I may lose my supply of yucky fruits and veg 😳😢. Have to see how it plays out.
Glad your thanksgiving was good. Weather sucked in a lot of places 😡. Take care! ❤️🪱
Awesome. Thank you breaking down your veggie powder process.
You are very welcome 🤗. Do you make it yourself or are you going to give it a try? ❤️🪱
@@RockinWorms I don’t have a dehydrator. Right now I blend my worm food and freeze it weekly… and that cadence works out well for me right now, but I’m glad to see how you do it. Looks good!
@@amywaggoner822 Hi Amy! So you’re feeding your worms veggie slurry? Captain Matt does that. How do you manage the moisture in your bins? When I tried it my bins got so wet so fast 😡. I’d love to hear more about how you’re doing this! 🪱🪱🪱
This is great, I’ve been doing veggie powder since learning about it from you but have wondered if I was doing it the same way you would. I got a nice little dehydrator on marketplace and the same silicone trays from Amazon. I crumple up and rub the silicone tray against itself to break it up and then fold and dump it in the blender. Was pleased with how well those mats washed up too, very easy. Love all the great tips and am looking forward to learning the many ways to use it and the instant pot video when you’re ready to share.
Hi Monica! I really like the silicone mats. I use them a lot. They’ve clean up very easily which I love.
Marketplace have some awesome deals! Good for you finding a dehydrator there 👍.
Whatever way works best for you to get the dry sheets into the blender is the way to go 😎.
Your cocoon hatchlings (from me!) will be eating the veggie powder soon! ❤️🪱🪱
Very good 👍👍
Thanks!
Thank you
Thanks! You have helped me SO MUCH!😀
THANK YOU! ❤️❤️❤️
Good morning, Jayne, from Windermere Florida zone 9b
I think you need to have an anger management class😂😅😂
I dehydrate some of my peels and some go in frozen to the worms.
I really like your advice on shelf ready👍i do add some of those packets to keep things fresh.
I hope you have a great market for your Veggie Powder👍
❤Peggy❤
Hi Peggy! Who doesn’t like pounding the heck out of something once in a while?! Haha!
I’ve watched your excellent video where you’ve shown both powdered and frozen banana peels 👍. Shelf stable does really help with storage options ❤️🪱
I very much like your veggie powder idea!!! I grow lots of herbs and I dry and store them in the season. Nettles and other plants the same. And I realised I have many ingredients in my storage, already dehydrated. I dehydrated cut up banana peals for example and stored them for I don’t know why. Until now! So I’m going to look what I have in storage from last year, grind it and use that in the chow as well. Thanks for sharing your recipe. And kudos to your husband/cameraman/producer/director! It must be fun to do this together.
That’s great Milly! You were pre-planning veggie powder and didn’t even know it 😆. I use a ton of banana peels in my worm bins. In veggie powder form, as part of slurry to make pre-compost, cooked in the instant pot as a veggie right into the bins. There’s no reason for a banana peel to ever hit the garbage can! 🤣❤️🪱
Cameraman reads the comments - he loves being mentioned 🤗. He does a really good job! 🥰
First time I’ve seen how to make veggie power made I’m going to try it now great video 🪱🇳🇿
Yea! Let us know how it goes for you! Any tips you discover along the way, please share! ❤️👍🪱
Your Vitamix will powder that so easily! I have one and that’s what I do.
@@debbyd5729 Exactly! It’s a wonderful machine 👍. Thanks for watching 🤩🪱
Intriguing. Am going to try this.
Hello! Please do give it a try 👍. It’s a great way to save and store dry worm food without using limited freezer and fridge space. If you make some please come back and share your experience with us 🤩🪱
@@RockinWorms my Excalibur died a quite death. I have a cheap round one but it should work. I need to find the video where you fed it to them.
@@roseannejacquette9347 Oh no! Not a dead Excalibur 😩. Mine are used so who know how long they’ll last 🤷♂️🤞. A cheap dehydrator is fine. You don’t have to be too worried about exact temps and stuff. Just get it as dry as you can for storage. But even if you have a batch get moldy later in the worms will love it even more 👍🤩.
Here’s the link for the veggie powder feeding:
Do Red Wigglers Love Vegetable Powder? Plus Grow Out Bin Feed and Refresh
ruclips.net/video/7xKX0io9KXo/видео.html
It’s a long video so the short version is a light sprinkle to begin with and adjust from there. Veggie powder is very concentrated so a little goes a long way. Good luck! 🪱🪱
Thank you so much for the lesson. I loved having someone to show me how to do something. I can read it but I am a show me kind of person. Cant wait till I get to make some worm food. Mine are probably starving.😊
You are very welcome! We all learn differently so it’s good to have shows AND tells 👍.
I always think my worms are starving but when I do they a bin I find more food particles than expected. But yeah, they love the veggie powder 👍. ❤️🪱🪱
Me again. I keep the egg shells on their own cookie sheet and grind them . I don't use as much of them as I do the veggie powder.
I keep my grit and calcium separate too for the same reason. I use more of one than the other as needed 👍. Glad I’m not the only one that does this 😆.
Thanks for sharing!👍❤️🪱
Makes more since to dehydrate food whole then grind to a powder. That’s what I do. I don’t blend the food first.
Hi Victor! How have you been?
How long does it take for whole veggies to dehydrate? I’ve accidentally dried out whole beets in the fridge and they’re like rocks. What do you use to grind the vegetables? Really interested to hear more on how you do it. ❤️🪱
@@RockinWorms I have a homemade sun oven. Its big enough that I put a large aluminum turkey pan and 2 - 8x8 aluminum square pan. Since Im in no rush. I load all the pans and Some time I forget and I may have out for a week. I do slice my veggie . Just so it could dehydrate a bit better. I also make my bone meal this way. I boil the meat off the bone . Then I cut the bone in smaller pieces with a kitchen sheers. I dehydrate everything at the same time. Once it’s all dry I use one of the larger bullet to make it a powder.
@@victorm7274 Thanks for the further explanation 👍. Slicing the veg helps on several ways. I didn’t get that you sliced when you said ‘whole’.
Sun ovens are so neat! Did you build it yourself? And another user of the bullet! 👍🪱
@@RockinWorms I built my sun oven about 7 yrs ago. It seen better days but it still working. Yeah I mean I just don’t blend it first but I do chop my veggie in to smaller pieces . Just so it could dehydrate better.
@@victorm7274 Ah, I was in better shape 7 years ago too! 😳🙄🤣. That’s awesome you built it. Will you replace it when the time comes?
Since I am using electricity it’s worth the small added time and additional cost of more electricity (the blender) to speed the whole process up.
Some worm wranglers don’t want to use electricity for worm related activities. Which I get. But I also consider the worms as part of my feed chain (feeding them feeds my plants which I eat) and I use electricity for other food activities. I also already have all the equipment I use to make worm foods (veggie powder and worm chow) so I’m getting value out of money already spent 😎. And if I buy stuff used that’s added environmental value. Your sun oven takes it even further! Love it!😍
What are your thoughts on adding in your eggshell grit and Coffee grounds into the vegi powder? (I don't use coffee in my bedding) Normally I have been keeping the coffee and Egg amenities separate but the idea of putting it all together for simplicity seems like a good idea.
Hi Shaun! You can combine all the dry ingredients if it’s easier for you. I don’t because I’m making videos and feel it’s more instructive for worm wranglers to see the individual ingredients and have me talk about options as well.
Always be aware that veggie powder that’s dehydrated is highly concentrated and needs to be used in moderation.
It’s also important to always remember that worm bins and compost bins are NOT the same and you have to be aware of possible heating up in worm bins when adding things like veggie powder, coffee grounds, worm chow, food scraps, etc. It’s all about balance 🪱🪱😎
So I found a bunch of cocoons and brought them in and started a bin a month ago. Checked them 2 days ago, no leftover food no cocoons and no visible worms. Did I actually just start a biota bin? Or should i just wait longer??
Hi Amy! I’d wait a bit longer. I’d place a sheet of newspaper over the bin top as well. It can take several weeks but you should see the newspaper being consumed. Also worms like to hang out on top of the paper so that can make them easier to see. You can also make a small - and I mean small - food pile to see if it lures any worms in. That can also make little worm easier to see.
These cocoons you found - were they from a worm bin or outside, wild cocoons? Do you know what species the cocoons are/were?
@@RockinWorms yes wild reds in some beautiful rabbit compost from the summer. I mixed in a little bedding and a lil food and all of the food is gone
@@amyleader5147 Ok. Then I’d do what I suggested and give it another month or so. The wild cocoons might be more triggered by spring’s weather signals than captive worms. 🤷♂️🪱
Hay hun, I have a load of veg peelings mum brought me- can I dehydrate them and use them? Should I slurry them or just dehydrate the pealing?
There’s carrots, parsnips, potato, sweet potato think that’s it.
Hi Cheryl. Nice gift from mom! Personally I’d slurry them and then dehydrate and make veggie powder simply because that what I always do 🙄😎.
I know several commenters have shared they dehydrate the vegetables after chopping them up and do not make a slurry. Then they powder the dried chunks. I want to give that method a try but haven’t yet so I can’t personally attest to how it works, any pros or cons, etc.
regardless of which method you use, please report back your experience!👍❤️🪱
@@RockinWorms ok well I’ll try the peelings then as they are. Can put some on tonight overnight and see where we are tomorrow and will let ya know. Thanks xxx
That’s 5 trays in for 16 hrs lol see how they do but I can see from yours that boot leather is the feature I want lol
I never expected it to look like that.
My mum says my new air fryer has a dehydrator setting on it- but for like 40mins. So gonna have to look into that coz if it’s quicker and cheaper then may be easier for me. But need to look into it.
@@cherylhowker1792 Hi. Some of the instant pot pressure cookers are supposed to have a dehydrator setting as well. I tried to get one but while the item picture showed the setting the actual machine being sold didn’t have it 😡. I’d be interested in hearing your results if/when you try it 👍🪱
I am forced to use my food processor and it does such a terrible job i have to also use a stick blender as well. Would not recommend 😊
Hi Eleanor! How have you been?
Yes, I don’t use my big food processor nearly as much as I thought I would. 😬😡. Maybe you can haunt marketplace or thrift stores etc and find a cheap used blender…?
I wouldn’t want to muse a stick blender to turn the dried sheets into powder!! That would be a mess for sure 😳
Great video Jayne . I’m all set to make my batch of veggie powder tomorrow now I’ve seen how you make it. Time to get my machines unboxed and working for my worms. 🪱 ❤
Awesome Bev! Keep us posted!
I say if you’ve already have the equipment you may as well use it!