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Brookfield, IL —
It started as a labor of love and took off from there.
That’s how Amber Gribben describes her avocation that turned into a career in vermiculture and her transformation into “The Urban Worm Girl.”
Gribben was extolling the virtues of vermiculture, the process of composting by using worms, at the Riverside Farmers Market last week. Under the shade of a canopy, Gribben displayed a multitiered system for making compost with red wiggler worms by feeding them vegetable kitchen scraps including melon rinds, lettuce, banana peels, coffee grounds and tea bags, crushed egg shells, cardboard egg cartons, newspaper and plain uncolored paper.
“They’ll eat half their body weight daily,” Gribben said of the worms.
Meat and dairy products should be avoided in the composting process to limit attracting pests and because of the smell, Gribben added. The composting system could be as small or large as needed, and could be in or outdoors.
“There’s no odor involved,” Gribben said. I have mine in my kitchen.”
People can build their own bins with Rubbermaid containers and purchase worms by the pound. Complete vermiculture packages also are offered by The Urban Worm Girl company, starting at $140 and going to $300.
Necessary supplies include worm bedding, trays, castings and compost collection containers for the counter.
Urban Worm Girl is co-owned by Gribben and its founder, Stephanie Davies, who authored the book,
“Composting Inside and Out: 14 Methods to Fit Your Lifestyle.” They have a studio in Lincoln Park where they conduct seminars on vermiculture.
“People generally remember the name, so I guess its working,” Gribben said.
Gribben and Davies also will host “parties” at homes to educate the public on vermiculture and to set up systems in the home.
“Everybody has garbage,” Gribben said. “We have worms; we’ll travel.”
So, is Gribben the least bit squeamish about handling worms and keeping them in the kitchen?
“Not at all,” she said.
It started as a labor of love and took off from there.
That’s how Amber Gribben describes her avocation that turned into a career in vermiculture and her transformation into “The Urban Worm Girl.”
Gribben was extolling the virtues of vermiculture, the process of composting by using worms, at the Riverside Farmers Market last week. Under the shade of a canopy, Gribben displayed a multitiered system for making compost with red wiggler worms by feeding them vegetable kitchen scraps including melon rinds, lettuce, banana peels, coffee grounds and tea bags, crushed egg shells, cardboard egg cartons, newspaper and plain uncolored paper.
“They’ll eat half their body weight daily,” Gribben said of the worms.
Meat and dairy products should be avoided in the composting process to limit attracting pests and because of the smell, Gribben added. The composting system could be as small or large as needed, and could be in or outdoors.
“There’s no odor involved,” Gribben said. I have mine in my kitchen.”
People can build their own bins with Rubbermaid containers and purchase worms by the pound. Complete vermiculture packages also are offered by The Urban Worm Girl company, starting at $140 and going to $300.
Necessary supplies include worm bedding, trays, castings and compost collection containers for the counter.
Urban Worm Girl is co-owned by Gribben and its founder, Stephanie Davies, who authored the book,
“Composting Inside and Out: 14 Methods to Fit Your Lifestyle.” They have a studio in Lincoln Park where they conduct seminars on vermiculture.
“People generally remember the name, so I guess its working,” Gribben said.
Gribben and Davies also will host “parties” at homes to educate the public on vermiculture and to set up systems in the home.
“Everybody has garbage,” Gribben said. “We have worms; we’ll travel.”
So, is Gribben the least bit squeamish about handling worms and keeping them in the kitchen?
“Not at all,” she said.
