Topic: Bread ok to compost ?

[newbieveggie]

Hi there.
I just wanted to ask, is it ok to put bread in my compost bin as I know its not good to feed the birds with it anymore ? Thanks  ;D

[saddad]

Generally thought to be a bad idea, supposed to encourage rats. Could go in a wormery i suppose  :-\ 

[Emagggie]

I generally go by the rule that if it's been processed, don't compost it.

[wetandcold]

I put bread in my compost bin and it rots down just fine. I guess there might be a problem with rats but I have never experienced this personally and, unlike meat, I don't know why bread would attract them any more than veg peelings?

I did have a problem with rats about three years ago. My wife chucked a bag of mouldy peanuts into the bin and the rats chewed through the plastic bin at the bottom, took all of the nuts and stashed them in my garage behind my freezer (nice and warm...). Cleaning up the nuts was easy but I can still smell their urine... >:(

[newbieveggie]

Oooh Im really undecided now. Its all fields and what not where I live and we do get rats, however I have three hunting cats. The largest of the three catches rats with ease. It just seems such shame to throw it away esp when we make our own bread. Oh drat decisions, decisions..... :-\

[littlebabybird]

freeze it for bread crumbs, make puddings with it  ;)

lbb

[cornykev]

Maybe I've missed something here but why is it no good for the birds.    ???     ;D ;D ;D

[Borlotti]

I have also heard it is no good for birds, pigeons fly off to the allotment and eat my PSB.  Just had some stale white bread and couldn't bear to throw it away, and yes I think it does encourage rats, so have just made a lovely bread and butter pudding.  Just 2 eggs, pint of milk, 4oz sugar and some raisins, don't like sultanas.  Brings back memories of my mother, who never wasted anything, and I was brought up just after the war and don't remember going short of food, and still love corned beef hash, bone stew etc. etc.  Supermarkets full of cheap food and people still moan.

[Georgie]

freeze it for bread crumbs, make puddings with it  ;)

lbb

...or make less bread?  I'd say putting bread on the compost bin is akin to hanging a 'rats welcome' sign on your compost bin.  Don't do it!

G x

[saddad]

 Not very nutrient dense, fills them up but not enough goodness esp for chicks, Kev :)

[Baccy Man]

Food of any sort raw or cooked MAY be viewed as a food source by rats.
A compost heap made entirely of plant material is likely to attract a wide range of insects which MAY attract rats which feed on those insects.
A compost heap made entirely of plant material with few if any insects MAY attract rats as somewhere warm to nest.

All organic matter is compostable it is up to you which you add to your compost heap, omitting certain materials will make very little difference to wether your compost heap attracts rats or not on my opinion.

Personally I do compost numerous materials which are said to attract rats but the only rats in my compost heaps are the rat corpses taken out of the  fen traps & added intentionally.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've always got rats around, but as long as I keep poisoning them they're not a problem. It's really a question of how many you've got.

[flossy]

  Myself, I view compost in the quickest break down situation that I can muster,

  Tightly secured, in full sun and add an accelerate, don't put in anything that

  is pre - manufactured, ie, anything that has been cooked for the table.

  Think tea - bags are the best thing since ' sliced bread '  [ sorry , ]       ::)

   they give fibre and the  ' bags ' dissappear very quickly leaving lots of crumble !

   My Dad had us emptying every pot of tea into his bean trench - come rain or shine,

  roses love tea apparently !

  Never had rat probs to date,

  floss xxx

[artichoke]

I'm with those who won't throw bread away unless it has gone mouldy, which is unusual. If it has gone stale or if I have bought a loaf for people who don't like our home made bread and they haven't finished it, it goes into a small drawer in the freezer and comes out for breadcrumb and cheese toppings, bread sauce, skordalia, breadcrumb coatings, all sorts of things. I was a war baby too, and cannot throw it out. Therefore I never compost it.

[newbieveggie]

skordalia ??
Whats that then ?? A new recipe I can use methinks ?? ::)

[artichoke]

http://www.skopelos.net/recipes/skordalia.htm

I prefer it made with bread rather than potato.

[artichoke]

PS it took a shamefully long time for me to realise that you can freeze a bag of breadcrumbs, and how easy it is to sprinkle some on top of eg cauliflower cheese, with some extra grated cheese and maybe a few slices of tomato for colour, then put the bag back in the freezer. The crisp cheesy topping is delicious, but I would never bother with it if I had to make the breadcrumbs each time.