I also wasn't surprised when my son tried to not let me come downstairs in the morning, but later ran to get me saying "momma, come quick!" My boys are rock stars when it comes to making me breakfast on the weekends. Today they went all out and made a traditional Japanese breakfast of fish, tamagoyaki, miso soup, and rice, along with matcha tea.
What was surprising was when they left me for a couple hours in the afternoon and returned with worms! What??? Well, these are special composting worms known as red wigglers. Their poop is known in the gardening world as the gold level of compost.
I have bemoaned not having a worm bin here, so my husband and son thought I would be happy to receive a package of red wigglers as a gift. They had to visit two fishing shops (which I doubt there are many of in Tokyo) to secure the worms. Some people "raise them" not for gardening, but for fishing because they multiply quickly and are easy to manage.
I couldn't be more thrilled with receiving this thoughtful gift!
I had some coconut core bricks from gardening that I was able to hydrate and build them a bed inside a plastic bin we had on hand. We tucked some celery leaves and an apple core into the bedding and tucked the worms in for some excellent dining. Now all we do it wait for them to eat more of our kitchen waste and turn it into amazing plant food.
I doubt that I will be sharing this new venture with many of my Japanese friends. They already think I am weird because I had chickens and ducks in the US without being a farmer.
This was definitely a memorable Mother's Day! One that I will be able to reflect upon for a very long time.
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If you are interested in vermicomposting, I learned everything from the book "Worms Eat my Garbage" by Joanne Olszewski and Mary Arlene Appelhof. It is an amazing resource!
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