Yes, my packaging is brown and without any bright, alluring colors. Shouldn't I at least have festive packaging for the Christmas ornaments that I make? I could, but I have alter motives. Mostly it comes down to worms and composting. This packaging, which contains no dyes, can be used for both! I love getting packaging like this because I can tear it up and use it to create bedding for my worms, or add it to my compost pile. So this packaging is for those of you who do the same.
My worm condo full of Red Wigglers (that's the type of worm commonly used for worm farms)
Since my soil is a very alkaline sand (thank you southeast Wyoming), I rely heavily on composting and my worms. Especially since I garden organically only. This way I know that what my family is consuming is completely free of the chemicals found in pesticides and herbicides.
It turns out that the bacteria in worm castings (or worm poop) is extremely beneficial and helps plants fight off insects and disease. I even use it to make compost tea, which has really helped me to improve the soil microbiome of my garden. Additionally, studies show that harmful E. Coli strands (there are many strands of E. Coli and not all are harmful) are actually killed after being processed by worms. So, say I threw contaminated egg shells, which I rinse before composting or putting them in with my worms, in with the worms. When the worms consume them, they eradicate the harmful E. Coli. So awesome!
Additionally, new research on our GI tracts shows that a lot of people do not have healthy gut microbiomes (this leads to disease), which is in large part because we aren't eating plants straight from the earth anymore. We have to wash them twenty-something different times before consumption. This washing, while it does remove pathogenic bacteria, is also washing away the healthy bacteria that we need for our gut microbiomes. We actually have more bacteria in our body than we do human cells...yeah, we need bacteria! They allow us to extract nutrients from our food and provide us with amazing immune systems. So, worm poop is actually good for us too! Please do NOT go out and eat handfuls of worm castings. We can get these healthy bacteria through organic gardening.
Spinach and Toy Choy in my fall garden.
Napa Cabbage from my fall garden. You can see the difference between the soil on the left side, which is sand, and the right side, which I have used worm casting and compost to improve.
Well, I think that is enough for now. Please feel free to comment or ask me questions. Until next time, I hope you all are happy and healthy.