5 Ways to Manage Funky Odours with Pickled Food Scraps (Bokashi)

If you've noticed some "funky" smells coming from your Pickled food scraps, don't panic—it's all part of the magic of anaerobic fermentation!

Let’s break it down and share some tips to manage those odours.

The Pickling process mimics how your guts digests food! Beneficial bacteria in your Pickled Composting Flakes pre-digest your food scraps, breaking down sugars into lactic acid, alcohols, and other acids. These compounds preserve the scraps, prevent rotting, and avoid methane production (unlike landfill waste).

Some of these acids, like butyric acid, can be a bit... pungent. It’s the same compound that gives parmesan cheese its tangy smell and butter its richness!

Bonus: butyric acid has anti-inflammatory and gut health benefits—pretty cool, right?

 

Place a layer of cardboard (ripped up preferably) or wood mulch at the bottom of your bucket and sprinkle a generous handful of Composting Flakes.

This helps soak up excess liquid and reduces odours.

Just like over 99% of the bacteria in your gut are anaerobic (oxygen-free), your scraps thrive in an oxygen-free environment.

Squash scraps down tightly to remove air pockets and create the perfect anaerobic conditions.

Avoid overloading with high-protein scraps (like meat) without enough veggies to balance.

If you are adding more high protein based foods such as meat, dairy, fish/seafood and bones/shells; sprinkle a generous amount of Pickled Composting Flakes (i.e. double the amount) as these tend to break down slowly.

If you notice too much liquid building up, tip the bucket on its side and carefully drain it off.

 The liquid (a.k.a. “bokashi tea”) can be diluted and used as a garden fertiliser!

Make sure your bucket is sealed tight to prevent air from sneaking in and disrupting the process.

Funky smells = fermentation success!

Your scraps are transforming into a nutrient-rich base for healthy soil, without producing harmful methane gas. So embrace the process and let your Pickled Compost system work its magic!

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