Do Composters Consume More Produce?

I admit it, I like convenience. Who doesn’t? But to me, a grapefruit’s pretty convenient already--comes packaged in its own compostable carrying case, doesn’t need refrigeration or heating before serving, available in single- or two-serving sizes and a range of colors with several local and organic varieties available in season…

My work lunch today--if I ever get to eat it!--will be a fruit bowl: peeled and diced citrus in several varieties, tossed with lime juice and a bit of sugar to make up for the rather insipid too-cheap-to-pass-up navel orange (now I know why they were so cheap -G-). Normally, I’d simply have tossed a grapefruit in my bag, but I’ve missed lunch the past couple of days, snatching handfuls of nuts or a couple of cookies to nibble on instead. Not good for my health, and really a shame with all the lovely real food I have on hand. So I chopped up my citrus into bite-sized pieces I can nibble on if there’s no time for more.

In theory, anyway.

The prepping left me with a pile of citrus peelings I had neither the time nor the inclination to do anything with at that hour of the morning, so they went into the bokashi bucket. Over time, they’ll be converted into plant food, to nourish more produce for me to eat. (I do grow the odd not-a-crop plant, but mostly I’m a kitchen-oriented gardener.)

Tossing the peels and bits into the bucket, it occured to me to wonder if maybe I buy whole produce, rather than pre-prepped, in part because I actually want the “waste” for my composting.

Did I buy less fresh produce in the pre-bucket days? I cannot now recall, but it seems likely, if only because I cook more now that I have no disposal-guilt. Which, now that I see it all typed out, looks very strange.

Oh, well. At least I can take comfort in the fact that I shall no longer be tempted, if ever I was, to buy this. My buckets need feeding!