Why worms? Glad you asked.

It started with a garden

During the pandemic I got interested in growing my own food. I saw how fragile our whole system is, and I wanted to grow food for my family's security. Any chef will tell you the best produce is whatever's in season and comes from the closest source. All the rage on the food scene these days is foraged plants and “weeds,” partly because chefs want new ingredients to challenge themselves and their diners. But I also think they know that wild ramps, mushrooms and berries haven't been treated with any chemicals. It's food grown the way Mother Nature intended, as fresh as it can be.

Closing the loop

The more I learned about gardening, the more I learned how important it is to “close the loop.” When we harvest food from the garden, we're also taking away the nutrients the plant used to make those vegetables and fruit. Scraps from the kitchen should go back to the garden as compost, and worms let me compost our food scraps even through winter.

Raising a gardener

When I became a father, I realized I wanted my daughter to grow up understanding how important growing food is: how much work goes into a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, or even a small salad at lunch. Knowing how food grows is part of what a parent's job is all about.

It's built community, too. Neighbors bring us their food scraps, and every fall we collect their old pumpkins to feed the worms. It's one of their favorite treats.

Thousands of worms later

Growing worms is easy enough when you have one bin. When you're juggling several thousand worms at once, it can be a real struggle. I like to look at it as a hobby and a challenge, and learning new things is a big part of why I do it. Growing the operation isn't always easy or comfortable, but putting yourself out there and starting something new can be exciting and educational.

— Matt