How to Compost Green Crabs

How to Compost Green Crabs

Every time I hear someone compost perfectly edible items I cringe because I don't like to see, hear, or read about wasted food. I believe in consuming what you can first and only compost what is inedible after. This same concept goes for the invasive green crabs. Just like anything, there are many different methods to compost matters but this short post is about how I compost green crabs. After returning home from the dock with a bucket of crabs I would spend some time preparing them by removing the carapace, apron, gills, and mouthparts to discard. Please check out How to Prepare Hard-Shell Green Crabs post for further details and tutorials. I save the bodies and roe separately for cooking. The discarded parts would be boiled for about 5 minutes, just long enough to cook them. The reason I devote in this extra 5-minute step is to decrease the stench of decaying shellfish and to prevent attracting animals and insects to my outdoor compost container. I would empty the cooked discarded parts and liquid in my home-made recycled compost receptacle--made from an old wooden cabinet minus the back and a door. It lies open to the ground and the top covers with a wire mesh nailed to a wooden frame heavy enough to prevent it from blowing away or having it knocked over by most animals. I say most because we do have an occasional bear visiting in the area (New Hampshire). One of our neighbors is known to have frequent conversations with bears! My husband saw a black bear recently while driving so they are definitely around!

Do add a little soil to the container for the worms to be happy. These worms are usually well fed and large, great for fishing bait! And about once or twice a month turn the organic material inside in order for the items to break down more evenly.

discarded inedible crab parts

boiling discarded crab parts

DIY compost bin