Surprise Salad Recipe!

I have the best recipe for a tossed garden salad. When I'm not thinking about playing the violin, or stressing out over a busy schedule, I'm drooling over thoughts of fixing this lovely recipe! Prepare yourselves for a most unusual list of ingredients. :D

Ingredients:

A big pile of autumn leaves

A large bag or 5 of shredded paper

A 2 string bale of straw

An old bale of moldy hay

Chopped vegetable remnants from the kitchen

A huge truck load of steamy hot cow manure

Tools:

Wheel barrow

Pitchfork

Two strong arms

Instructions:

Once you have all the above mentioned tools and ingredients, choose a large outdoor area for mixing.

(1).

It's very important not to layer any one ingredient too thickly. I begin by covering an area of about 4X4 with 4 to 6 inches of steamy hot cow manure which I got from the dairy down the road. It's nicely pressed so that the liquid is mostly out of it and it's crumbly rather than slimy.

(2).

Then I fluff a layer of paper shreds over the manure, you don't want the paper too dense because it will become matted.

(3).

Next sprinkle a couple of inches of autumn leaves, straw, and hay. Once again, it should be sprinkled and fluffed so not to become matted. Between the paper, straw, hay, and leaves, you should now have about 6 inches of material on top of the manure. Lastly add your chopped kitchen vegetables.

You are not finished yet. Repeat steps 1,2, and 3 until the pile is at least 3 feet high! This will help the pile to build heat and decompose quickly.

(4).

Let rest for 48 hours. Both you and the pile will need to rest.

(5).

After 48 hours of rest, toss the pile thoroughly. The pile should be very hot and steamy after resting. I prefer to completely flip the pile by rebuilding it in the spot right next to the pile. Use your pitch fork.

Repeat numbers 4 and 5, seven times. At the end of 2 weeks your pile should be beautifully decomposed into a rich pile of dirt!

Next, if you are planning on using your dirt for potted plants, you should cover your dirt pile or bag it to keep weed seeds from blowing in and contaminating the dirt. If you plan to use it in your garden then spread it where most needed.

Be sure to view my other post to see pictures!