Can I put tomato skins in there

14 years ago

with the worms in my worm bin? I have a kazillion tomatos and am canning a lot. I hate to toss the skins and thought maybe they might be okay for the worms. Would they be too acid or would they be okay?

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Comments (9)

Jasdip
14 years ago
They should be okay,(I fed mine last year) but as with anything you're not sure of, put a few in a corner. When you see them in the skins, you know they're safe to use. I still wouldn't dump the whole batch in there at once, even when you see them eating the test batch.
Moderation is still important. Can you refrigerate the peels or freeze them, then feed as necessary?

I'm going to be giving them a lot myself when I buy my Roma tomatoes that I do each year.
sbryce_gw
14 years ago
Go ahead and feed them to your worms. I have fed whole tomatoes with no problems. In fact, the worms love tomatoes. If I had a lot of tomato skins, I would treat them like any other food. As a precaution, I never feed more than 1/3 of my bin at once, just in case things heat up, or for some reason the worms object.
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Quite normal to see that clear liquid. Its common when your using tomatoes that contain a lot of water in them. I like using a meatier tomato type, and scoop out some of the liquid and seeds before they are either canned or are put through the Villware strainer. Skins I hate, as they even show up after 'digesting them', if you know what I mean. High fiber they are, but how useful to our digesting I have no clue.. They just don't look appealing when you see them in the bottom of the spagetti. Tip- give those jars a quick shake before selling... Heres a quick way to enjoy them too. Slice some whole tomatoes and place on several layers of paper towels to soak up some liquid, while you sprikle salt on them. Make a batch of bread dough, spread out to the shape of a big pizza, spread it with olive oil and oregano and/or basil, then add the drained tomato slices close together, sprinkle with mozzarella or other favorite italian cheeses and bake. OUT OF THIS WORLD!!
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Zabby, If you go to: http://www.bridgekitchenware.com/search.htm and type the words "tomato shark" into the site locator, you will see a fuzzy photo of one. It basically is made like a melon baller EXCEPT that the opening of the small tool is all TEETH. A melon baller will NOT work for this task. I tried without luck. The tool is small but sharp enough to remove the core to the depth you feel necessary (shallower for small vs. deep for large tomatoes). I usually hate single use tools, but a cherry pitter and a tomato shark are both small tools that make the job go a lot faster when confronted with a large bunch of either cherries or tomatoes. As smooth as the skin of the tomato appears compared to many other things we can with skins in place, I have never worried about bacteria on the skins either with a good washing and proper processing. Hope your winter isn't too cold in your neighborhood (I think you are in Ontario). Been many decades since I lived in Ontario (born in Barrie) and shoveled snow. Oh but the glory of the spring when the snow melts, new spring growth starts again, and everything is bright and clean and new! Jim in So Calif
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I will throw my 2 cents in on this subject. I was told that the skins have a lot of vitamins so just blend everything into a food processor. My sauce came out bitter and nasty. A real waste of a lot of tomatoes....all heirlooms....raised from seed and babied all spring/summer. However seeds don't bother me. Go figure. I've never noticed any bitterness with the seeds left in. So do what you like but I think if you have any prediliction to a sensitive pallet I would recommend removing the skins and seeds. When I make sauce (before this bad experiment) I usually drop the tomatoes in a hot bath for 30 seconds or so....remove them with tongs and put them in ice water. Remove the skins and core center and place a bunch in a collander over a bucket and salt generously. Let them sit for a while and then everything but the juice goes in a copper bottom pot. I add italian spices and let the sauce cook down to a desired thickness. This can take a day or sometimes more. Then I freeze because I can add garlic or whatever else I want without worrying about acid levels for canning. Homemade sauce is one of those labors of love that is truly worth the trouble. Wait until the cold winter to drag out a quart or two. Summer in a jar most definitely. Duane
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kitttenn37096
14 years ago
I was going to ask this same thing myself. Thanks.. I think I shall freeze them in small containers and defrost during winter months when fresh veggies are lots scarcer.

I do that with melon rinds other veggies...

Kitt
tango_il
14 years ago
yep it's tomato season. my worms enjoy all the tomato scraps. there's a lot of moisture added too so keep up with the water excess
jonas302
14 years ago
You bet throw them in I haven't found any friuts or veggies they don't like I even fed them the leftovers from prosessing 5 pounds of hot chiles
mndtrp
14 years ago
It helps to know how large your bin is. I have a 35 gallon trash can for a bin, and I wouldn't hesitate to dump a pretty good sized amount of tomato skins in the bin. Like jonas, I've put 2 bushels worth of green chile skins in my bin.
Jasdip
14 years ago
My guys eat onions and citrus.....things that are suggested not to use. I've never found anything they don't like.
I've got my corn cob chunks in there now for them.
steamyb
14 years ago
These worms normally eat manure, so anything else is a treat.
jusme_newby
10 years ago
My first job as a kid was helping out in a service station. When told to get the "hose Bender" I spend a whole half of a day asking everyone where one was. Nobody told me there was no such thing.

Nobody told me not to put tomato skins in my worm bin either. But they should have. I just spent three hours trying to separate the worms from the castings using the light & pile method. But the worms never ate the tomato skins. Now, when subjected to a bright light they do not head down to the bottom of the pile, no, they hide under the tomato skins near the top. I guess the light that makes it through the skins is filtered to red and, as I have been told, they do not react to red. And I put a LOT of tomato skins in last fall.

Unless my worms are just plain finicky, I would caution not to put tomato skins in a worm bin. Instead, go find me a hose bender.

Hugh

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Can I put tomato skins in there

Comments (9)

Jasdip

sbryce_gw

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