We’ve had an email from Jayne:

What can I do with corn cobs? Seems such a waste to throw them in the bin after we’ve eaten the kernels. Compost?

Yes, they can be composted but since the core is usually pretty tough when the ears reach maturity (sweet corn cob as opposed to baby corn stage), they’ll probably take quite a while to rot down – chop them up to speed up the process but they’re still not going to be the fastest. (Some people get around this sort of problem by keeping two types of compost heap – one for things that will rot quickly, and one for things that will rot slowly. The first will provide regular compost for the garden, the second will produce it eventually too but the main purpose is to keep the first pile clutter-free – and keep other stuff out of landfill of course.)

Apparently they can be shredded and used as fibre in cattle fodder, burned into charcoal and on a large scale, can be used to make a industrial chemical compound.

Any suggestions for things more useful around the home?

We’ve had another email to Compost This which I’m pulling over here instead. This is from Joann:

Can I compost the mushy leftover veg after I’ve made stock?

Like I said regarding Weetabix, one of the general rules for a basic compost heap is to avoid putting things in there which will attract vermin. Just about all food stuff will rot down to compost, the key is to avoid the heap or non-sealed bin becoming a nuisance in the meantime.

In terms of those stock veggies, I would say a big giant no if they’ve been cooked with any meat, fish, bones or animal fat: the scent will probably cling to them and might cause a problem. If it’s just a veg stock though, it’ll be less of an issue so I’d probably compost them.

Before flinging them though, can they be put to any other ultra-thrifty/non-wasteful culinary uses?

I’ve heard some people keeping back starchy things to use as a thickener for soups or stews. I’ve also heard about people using them as a bulking agent – alongside plenty of meat/fish and grains – when making homemade pet food.

Any other suggestions?

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

We’ve had an email from Jenna to our Compost This address:

I just found a box of Weetabix in my kitchen cupboard that went off last April! Can I compost it?

In a basic, non-sealed compost bin/heap, one of the general rules is avoid putting anything in there that might attract vermin. While I certainly wouldn’t put milk-soaked cereal in there, crushed dry Weetabix should be ok – it’s even recommended in some circles as a starter food for wormeries.

(Another general rule of compost heaps is keep it balanced and well mixed, so keep that in mind if you’ve got a lot of the wheat biscuits to get rid of.)

Aside from composting though, are there any old uses for out of date Weetabix? I have a half memory of a facial scrub/mask thing using Weetabix but a search doesn’t show anything up. Anyone know?

We’ve had an email from “Pondering of Bristol”, saying:

Sorry to be a bit morbid but my daughter’s pet rat, Ellen, is on the way out and we are wondering what to do with her once the inevitable happens? We don’t have a big garden, just pots, so can’t really bury her. Should we put her in the compost?

I wouldn’t put a dead animal in an open compost heap for the same reason I would steer clear of composting any animal products – it may attract other unwanted vermin or insects to the heap while it’s decomposing. People using sealed composting systems are usually more happy to do this type of thing though.

We’ve always been able to bury our ex-cats in their favourite spot in the garden so I haven’t really thought about alternatives – does anyone else know about this sort of thing?

(Photo by puellakas)

We’ve had an email from Jon Arkin:

I bought a big net of garlic from the market at the weekend because it was going cheap. I now know why, half of them have started sprouting.

I’m going to try to use as many as I can but will have to compost the rest – or are there any other non-culinary uses?

You could try planting the sprouting cloves in your garden – give them six months or so and they become new bulbs – but when I did this a few years ago, the resulting bulbs were tiny and not really worth the effort (although this might be because we have a north-facing garden and had a rather lax attitude to watering). And I suspect there may be issues with planting out commercially grown garlic like there is with planting old shop-bought potatoes.

I believe it can also be used to keep insects (and vampires) at bay but don’t know any more about that other than what I’ve learnt from bad 1980s horror films.

So any ideas or more info about the things I’ve mentioned?

(Photo by chidsey)