Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Duke Ellington on March 21, 2012, 23:09:10
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Does anyone have a way to keep the smell contained while it is stewing?
How long does it need to stew?
Duke
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I use a bucket with holes in the bottom on top of another bucket. Put the comfrey leaves in the top one, weight down with a brick and cover. The juce drops though into the bottom bucket. It only niffs a bit whilst you are transferring the juice into other containers. Haven't tried it with nettles but may do so this year.
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Does it work properly if it does not stink ;D ;D
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I just stick it in an old water butt, not conected to a downpipe!
Drain some off into a can and dilute and use!
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Stewing it in water always stinks, so I just fill an old barrel with comfrey leaves, dont add water or even weight it, after a month the black syrup oozes out and I pour it out, it doesnt smell that strong but needs diluting much more than if you'd steeped the leaves in water.
And stewed nettles are even worse!
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Would nettles work the same without stewing. If so I've got I've got loooads of nettles
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I use a bucket with holes in the bottom on top of another bucket. Put the comfrey leaves in the top one, weight down with a brick and cover. The juice drops though into the bottom bucket. It only niffs a bit whilst you are transferring the juice into other containers. Haven't tried it with nettles but may do so this year.
After years of smelly "soup" in a water butt I adopted the bucket method ,and then someone donated I think they're called Bokashi bins,It's the same thing ('tho I believe is properly used a bit like a wormery) It has a tap on it so I just feed comfrey leaves in the top and drain comfrey liquor via the tap. :)
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I was flicking through the latest Lakeland catalogue and found this.
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/51997/Plant-Food-Maker;jsessionid=8F2E15FCAF606E7CCD0FB4C511679DD0.app1
At £20 it's a bit pricey but it looks neat.
Duke
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Duke that looks very like the bokashi composting bin but without the bran added. I have one & was thinking about using it to make comfrey fertilizer in. You might find something similar on ebay or even the bokashi one. The bokashi I have doesn't let any aromas out ;D. Big bonus as when you use it as directed the stuff honks when it's rotted down.
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Does anyone have a way to keep the smell contained while it is stewing?
How long does it need to stew?
Duke
Brewed mine up in a 3 litre squash bottle with the lid lightly screwed on which seems to stop the whiffs.
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Brewed mine up in a 3 litre squash bottle
Sounds good but how did you get the comfrey in? Perhaps a 5 litre one would be better they have a larger top.
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The 3 litre squash bottles have a slightly wider lid. I just chop the compfrey up and shuv it in :)
Or you could dry the leaves in the sun, scrunch them up and store it for later use.
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I'm glad my allotment is upwind of yours ;) ;)
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You're in big trouble now Tulipa :P
Duke ;D
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(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t87/ninnyscrops/th_DSCF0611.jpg) (http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t87/ninnyscrops/?action=view¤t=DSCF0611.jpg)
If you have wheelie bins Duchess, go to the local council and find out where the damaged ones are. They will usually give them to you for free, put a tap in at the base and raise so you can fill old plastic bottles with the smelly stuff. ;)
Ninnyssssssssssssssss
(Proud owner of two ;D)
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That looks great! When you say damaged how bad is it? The bin looks fine, what I mean is what type of damage makes them taken out of service, but are still usable for allotments? I will be on to our council to get some!
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These two have damaged "lips", where the lifting gear would normally fit, Pumpkinlover. Others may have similar minor damage such as the hole where the lid handle is, and as you say, perfectly usable for the allotment. Have a word as they are quite happy to get rid of them.
Ninnys
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Thanks Ninnys :) will do
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There are a lot worse smells, won't go into the details. I don't mind the smell of my rotting nettle leaves, and my peas were brilliant last year, the envy of everyone on the allotment, so there. ;D ;D Maybe luck, or the nettle feed I gave them.
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Do you soak the nettle leave sin water and do you put the stalks in as well?
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Yes leaves and stalks in water, then leave it to rot and smell, then dilute with water to make a feed.
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Put it all in.
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By all Robert do you mean roots an all ;D?
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You're in big trouble now Tulipa :P
Duke ;D
;D
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By all Robert do you mean roots an all ;D?
If you want to. The roots would probably take longer to rot, but give them time and they'll add to the soup.
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Ninny's crops..this may be a daft question but how did you get the tap in? I have a waterbutt filled with comfrey juice and hate having to dip into it to collect it. Is it easy to fit?..doesn't it sort of seep out through the whole you make for the tap?
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Taps are a bit awkward as you have to put them in right at the far end of the barrel, but they're easy, and if you screw them up tight they don't leak.
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Ninny's crops..this may be a daft question but how did you get the tap in? I have a waterbutt filled with comfrey juice and hate having to dip into it to collect it. Is it easy to fit?..doesn't it sort of seep out through the whole you make for the tap?
As Robert says, they are awkward to fit so I sent Hubby into the abyss to do them. Plastic plumber's sealant tape I find the best and easiest to use as it doesn't go brittle in the extremes of weather and even I can mend a leak without getting mucky! :)
Ninnys
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Be careful to put the tap right at the bottom. It means squeezing that bit further in, but it makes it a lot easier to get the bottom six inches of fluid out.
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Just make sure you are upwind when you pour it out ;D A bucket with a lid keeps most of the smell in you could always try to get hold of a ex-military gas mask for the sieving part.....
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I use an old standard sized plastic dustbin which has a capacity of (I think) 80 litres. In the base I drilled a hole about 1cm diameter.
On the inside, over the hole, I placed a small 'dome' made of chicken wire. This allows the liquid through but keeps the solids from blocking the hole. I kept the 'dome' in place by sticking it down with gaffer tape.
Placed the dustbin on top of a bucket, chucked in plenty of comfrey leaves (I have 22 plants) but tried to avoid stalks. Kept the lid on the dustbin & just went on topping up.
The liquid drained into the bucket & every few days I decanted it into plastic bottles/milk cartons. Absolutely no smell at all. I used one of the bottles the other day and after 6 months there is an 'earthy' smell but only noticeable if you actually put the bottle under your nose. At the end of the season just clear out the bin (yes, that smelt) and it's ready for this year. Still trying to work out the dilution, about 1 in 15 or 20 seems OK. Best of luck.
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I have found stuffing comfrey leaves into an old pair of tights and hanging from the lip of a dedicated water butt does the trick and stops the tap getting getting gunged up.
With the lid on, smell is only an issue when you decant into a bottle or pail. But think of the value to your crops....