Thai people, in so many ways, are MILES ahead of the rest of the world. The things they think are normal make me smile. Like EM. Western visitors always need to be explained what it is, and why we use it, and for what.
"REALLY? And you can buy THAT cheaply in Thai supermarkets and local stores?!"
Yup.
EM stands for Effective Mirco-Organisms. Quite simply it is fermented fruit waste which creates a probiotic liquid not unlike apple cider vinegar. It's used for LOADS of things! Me, personally? I developed my passion for using EM long ago, but in the last year I have started MAKING it to assist our Karen refugee Organic Frontiers project. Their soil has been sooooo poor to start with, and they have ZERO cash to play with.
So apart from soil remediation, what do we use it for?
- cleaning - I like to mop floors daily throughout the whole house;
- keeping drains, toilets and septic tanks working efficiently;
- removing household odors - I keep some in a spray bottle and clean the fridge with it, and a dash down the sink to sanitize the s-bend;
- fertilizing plants;
- keeping ponds and waterways healthy - I add a small dash to our fish pond and lotus bowls every few weeks;
- accelerating compost;
- reducing insects on vegetable plants - just spray on leaves and watch everything level up!
- keeping laundry fragrant - brilliant for washing machine funk - just add to the rinse cycle;
- keeps running shoes clean and fungus free - simply spray into the shoes and pop them in a sunny spot for an hour;
I used to buy EM from the Vegetarian Co-Op in Chiang Mai City - 26 baht (about 85 cents) for 1.25 liters, sold in a repurposed plastic water bottle. Or you can buy it in more western packaging at many supermarkets and stores. At western prices. 😉
The indigenous Karen people need a lot of support to learn organic growing, and it's heart-breaking for them to start with very poor soil. I bought the first several dozen bottles of EM for them as a gift to get them started while our brewing got started. It's EASY to do yourself. With our displaced community not having even the smallest amount of cash to buy the basics, I made their brewing set up for them and took it up to the mountains on my monthly training visit.
All you need is one large plastic garbage bin (with no holes) and a piece of aquarium hose about 2 meters long. A sharp knife or a steel chopstick and a cigarette lighter. A little silicone. And some packing tape to seal it.
Step one.
Prepare your fermenting set up. Create a small, round hole in the top of the lid - I use the cigarette lighter to heat my steel chopstick to white-hot and then simply burn a perfectly round hole into the center of the lid. Please take care not to breathe in the toxic smoke. When it's cool, slide one end of the aquarium hose in and secure it with silicone on both sides of the lid.
You will see there is a second container - the green bucket works but on site we used a second old bottle so as not to encourage mosquito breeding.
Step Two.
Mark the inside of the rubbish bin. I used a light coloured nail polish. Many of our refugee people are not numerate and the proportions ARE critical to success. The ratios are simple: 3 parts fruit waste - damaged mangoes are a favourite. We are looking for good sugar content. 1 part molasses, which is rich in nutrients. Raw sugar can be substituted if money is tight or molasses hard to find. And 9 parts non-chlorinated water. For the first ever batch of home-brewed EM, I use a bottle of store-bought stuff to introduce the right microbes.
Step Three.
Fill the bin.
Fill to the first line of the bucket with old fruit - fallen, half rotten fruit ok. You can use old sticky rice too. We are looking for sugar rich so whatever is around.
Fill to the second line with molasses or sugar.
Fill to the very top with non-chlorinated water.
Step Four.
CLOSE TIGHTLY.
We are aiming for anaerobic fermentation, which DOESN'T SMELL if done correctly. Fill to the VERY brim to minimize air in the bin. I closed it off with a strip of packing tape too, to make sure the wind didn't blow the lid away and to keep rats-vermin away.
Make sure the gas outlet hose is submerged fully in a bottle or bucket filled with salt water. Salt in the water will stop mosquitoes breeding. You need a TINY gas escape so DON'T silicone the other half of the hose in - just leave a few milimeters for gas to esacpe.
Step Five
CHECK WEEKLY and stir. Close bin tightly again and make sure hose is fully covered and stays covered.
In 3 months you have a whole bin of EM. Strain and bottle and store in a cool place. Start the process all over again.
I add it neat to the compost pile, but for plants I dilute 1 part EM to 9 parts water. I add it neat to drains and toilets, but dilute for floors. It smells clean, like vinegar, and it's harmless if consumed. I DO know people who drink it too. LOL.
Western people complicate everything and there are far more complex ways to prepare EM. The Permaculture Growing Institute has lots of great information, if you want to learn more. There's a western-style How-To for EM Here. It DOES need warmth. If you live in a cool climate this is an end-of-the-summer-fallen-damaged-fruit project. In Thailand, all year round works just fine, except in the cooler mountain regions NOT in Dec-Jan-Feb.
Organic growing success - whatever you're growing - begins and ends with healthy soil. If you water your garden with chlorinated tap water, you NEED EM to restore the microbes you kill. If your soil is degraded and poor, this is a stellar and easy way to speed up composting and to help convert mulch to soil. EM reduces pests and is a natural fertiliser.
Yesterday I was upset on World Environment Day about the terrible destruction we are causing Mother Earth through the overuse of antibacterial chemicals which convert to toxic dioxins in the presence of water and sunlight. Missed that post? Please read. It matters. So Who Pushed It?. Today I am doing something about it and sharing the knowledge I have about enriching and restoring our waterways and soils with healthy microbes.
It's mango season and I need to get another batch of EM brewing here in Chiang Mai. Better get busy.
BlissednBlessed in my Thai Natural World.
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