Coffee Stains

After all my hours of hard labor last year building a worm bin for my worm composting, the roomies and I decided it just wasn't up to par. It sat low to the ground, was made out of chemical soaked plywood and, well, I'm not a carpenter. So, Jim and I built a new bin that is raised, with storage space below, hinged doors to keep the compose shaded for the worms, and screened windows (or skylights as Shane puts it) to allow some rain water and fresh air in. I really wanted to stain it, but the guys were against the idea. "That compost is going into the garden, too feed the plants you'll eat from," they said. Most stains have strong chemicals and preservatives in them, which can be absorbed by plants and grown into the food you eat.

Then my brilliant sister came up with a plan, "Coffee stains everything else, maybe it'll stain wood." Sure enough, we filled a bowl with pre-ground dark coffee roast (that none of us liked), ran some water through the coffee maker to heat it up (PS. it's a great way to heat water quickly for tea and hot cocoa), poured the hot water in the bowl, stirred it and allowed the grounds to seep. Then I took an old wash cloth, soaked it in the bowl, and squeezed the fresh brewed coffee on the wood. I also made some swirls in the wet coffee puddles on top of the wood for effect. After a few hours of letting it soak, the wood bin now has a nice honey mocha stain to it... and smells like coffee. Not to mention, I saved about $15 by not buying stain. If I want to weather proof it, I can probably rub some beeswax or coconut oil over it. I'll need to look into those options some more...

I broke my camera on the last caving trip with Team Green, so I can't show a picture now. But if I ever do take a picture of the new bin, I'll be sure to post it.