Shig has written this guide on using EM-1 (latest write-up 5-2014).

EM-1 Guide 2014:

Needs:
Blackstrap molasses, 1 quart (32 fl oz), can get at most stores, about $8-$11.
5-gallon bucket of blackstrap molasses from The Grain Mill Cooperative Grocery in North Carolina.
Online: http://shop.grainmill.coop/golden-barrel-black-strap-unsulphured-molasses-5-gal-58-5lb.html
Product name: “Golden Barrel Black Strap Unsulphured Molasses (5 Gal) 58.8 lb”

The price is $34.71 + $24.00 shipping = $58.71 (price and shipping cost may vary).
This calculates to $2.94 per quart (compared to $8-$11 per quart at the store).
Delivery is usually by the next business day (it’s nearly 60 lbs, very heavy, and UPS guy is usually not happy about that!)

It does not say that it’s organic. It is food grade and on the Golden Barrel website, it says things as “PA Dutch molasses” and “kosher ingredients such as” their “molasses” and that it’s “natural.” But may not mean much. What’s important is, if it’s not specifically labeled as certified organic, then the question is if it’s still acceptable for organic operations (organic farms, organic gardens) to use “natural” or “kosher” without jeopardizing their organic certification. Products that have on-farm applications (not consumer-end products and are therefore usually not organic certified) can be OMRI Listed (Organic Materials Review Institute, omri.org). OMRI Listed products, such as EM-1, can be used by certified organic operators.

How To Use EM-1
2014.2.9

[EM•1 Microbial Inoculant, and EM•1 Waste Treatment]

The following are guidelines of suggested uses of EM-1. Users can try their own variations and ratios with different ingredients depending on their experiences and observations.

If any recipe for number 2 below, or any information for number 3, are not shown, it is there as a place holder and it will be completed by the next version of this guide.

—Table of Contents—

1. Using EM-1 Directly

2. How to use EM-1 to make the following:
(Each of these are made by fermenting with EM-1)
A. To Make Bokashi
B. To Make Activated EM
C. To Make EM-5
D. To Make Fermented Drinks
E. To Ferment Foods
F. To Make Mud Balls
G. To Make Fermented Plant Extract (Green Grass Liquid Fertilizer)

3. How are the above EM-fermented items used?
a. To improve soil health (farming and gardening)
b. Applications to plants
c. Applications to water and wastewater
d. Recycling food waste and composting
e. Odor and fumes reduction
f. Cleaning
— — —

1. Using EM-1 Directly

The two main ways to use EM-1 are,
– to mix with and ferment other ingredients (all of number 2.)
– to drink it directly, as is, or mixed in water.

The third way is to use EM-1 in the same way you would use Activated EM or EM-5. This may happen when you run out of Activated EM or EM-5, or you can’t wait for the Activated EM or the EM-5 to be ready to use (usually takes 2 weeks to make).

Note. EM-1 is OMRI Listed (Organic Materials Review Institute, omri.org) and therefore Certified Organic operations (such as, organic farms and organic gardens) can use EM-1 for their organic produce.

2. How to use EM-1

For all of the recipes below,
– when mixing the liquid part, mix in the EM-1 last in the liquid mix.
– after mixing everything, make sure it’s kept airtight, at room temperature, and not in direct sunlight.
– all of the measurements do not have to be precise. You can round out the numbers.
– under the ingredients, the % amount is the % of the volume of the liquid amount.

A. To Make Bokashi

Ingredients (example, to make 10 lbs of bokashi):
EM-1, 1%* (0.8 fl oz)
blackstrap molasses, 1%* (0.8 fl oz)
water, 100% (80 fl oz) — 1 cup of water per lb of wheat bran
wheat bran, 10 lbs
* The 1% (EM-1 and molasses) is for wheat bran.
For other materials, such as coffee chaff, saw dust, wood shavings (walnut, teak, pine), dry fall leaves, coconut husks, dried brewery waste, etc., use 5% EM-1 and 5% molasses. It may be possible to use less than 5%, but you’ll have to test it out (4%, 3% and/or 2%) with the material you use. It may work with 1% with these other materials, but may not be consistent such as with store-bought wheat bran, rice bran, and perhaps other materials available commercially (where they usually have to provide a fairly consistent quality).

Tools: mixing bowl(s) or bucket(s), measuring cup, mixing tub (10-gallon size capacity), airtight bucket or trash bags.

Step 1. Mix the liquids first.
Put 80 fl oz of water in a bowl or bucket.
Add 0.8 fl oz of blackstrap molasses in the water and dissolve the molasses in the water by clean hands or by stirring.
Add 0.8 fl oz of EM-1.

Step 2. Mix the liquid into the wheat bran.
Put 10 lbs of wheat bran in a mixing tub.
Slowly add the liquid mix into the wheat bran while mixing everything together until the wheat bran is about 30% moist (to test this, take a handful and squeeze into a ball; if it sticks and there’s no liquid dripping and it easily breaks apart, then it is the right moisture).
Keep mixing the wheat bran until there is no too dry spot and no too wet spot.

Step 3. Ferment in an airtight container (or bag, use double bags).
Put the moist wheat bran into a bucket with airtight lid.
Press the wheat bran as much as you can into the bucket (or use trash bags, use double bags).
Then put a plastic sheet or bag on top of the wheat bran (don’t need to do this if in bags).
Close the lid tight and put the following label on it (if in bags, squeeze out air and tie into a knot):
“Fermenting bokashi, made , ready ”
Keep at room temperature out of direct sunlight.

Step 4. After 2 weeks.
You can start using the moist fermented bokashi.
If you made enough bokashi to last more than a month, then air dry the bokashi.
Spread the bokashi in trays or the mixing tub or over a tarp.
In direct sunlight in the summer, the bokashi can dry in 3 hours.
Inside, the bokashi may take 2 or 3 days to completely dry (crunchy dry).
After the bokashi is dried, it can be kept in a container or bag, open or closed, as long as it stays dry.

B. To Make Activated EM

Ingredients (example, to make 2 quarts):
EM-1, 5% (3.2 fl oz)
blackstrap molasses, 5% (3.2 fl oz)
water, 90% (57.6 fl oz)

Step 1. Mixing the liquids.
Use a 2 quarts (or 2-liter) soda bottle, such as a seltzer water bottle, since it can hold pressure.
Do not use glass, unless it can hold lots of pressure or if you have a proper air-lock device for the glass container.
Add some water into the bottle (about 1/4 of the bottle).
Add 3.2 fl oz of molasses and swirl the bottle so that the molasses dissolves in the water.
Try to dissolve the molasses in the measuring cup with water and add it to the bottle.
Fill the bottle with water to about 80% of the bottle.
Then add 3.2 fl oz of EM-1.
Fill the rest of the bottle with water to a little below where the cap screws are.
Close the bottle and place it at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.
Label the bottle as follows:
“Activated EM, Made on
Ready
Use by ”

Step 2. Ferment for 2 weeks, burp out any gas buildup.
At about the third day, there may be some gas (CO2) build-up. Slowly release the cap, but do not open it all the way, until you hear some gas being released. Gas is not always produced, so it’s okay if there are no gas build-up.

Step 3. After Activated EM is fermented.
Start using the Activated EM right away. It is most active and useful from the 2 weeks date (when it is fermented and ready) and about day 30 after date made. It should be used (best used by) within 45 days, and at the latest, within 60 days after date made. After 45 to 60 days, if it does not smell good, pour it down the drains (it helps to clean the drains). If it still smells okay after 60 days, it can still be used, but the main purpose, the application of microorganisms, most of the microbes may be dead or dormant. However, some or much of what they produced, such as antioxidants and enzymes, may still be useful.
Always keep the bottle of Activated EM closed tight and at room temperature.

C. To Make EM-5

Ingredients (example, to make 2 quarts):
EM-1, 5% (3.2 fl oz)
blackstrap molasses, 5% (3.2 fl oz)
vinegar, 5% (3.2 fl oz)
alcohol (40% alcohol, such as vodka, tequila, whiskey, etc.), 5% (3.2 fl oz)
water, 80% (51.2 fl oz)

Step 1. Mixing the liquids.
Follow the same steps as with B. above, but add the EM-1 last (add molasses, vinegar and alcohol, and fill with water to about 80% of bottle before adding the EM-1).
Label the bottle as follows:
“EM-5, Made on
Ready ”

Step 2. Ferment for 2 weeks, burp out any gas buildup.
Follow the same steps as with B, Step 2 above.

Step 3. After EM-5 is fermented.
The EM-5 will last much longer than the Activated EM (as much as a year long or longer).
Always keep the bottle of EM-5 closed tight and at room temperature.

Optional ingredients for EM-5:
You can add one or more of the following items to make a more potent EM-5.
garlic cloves (fresh, peel off the skin) 3 to 5 cloves for 2 quarts.
spicy hot peppers (fresh, whole pieces of peppers, such as, Jalapeños, Orange Thai Peppers, etc.)
neem (the plant or the extract), a small handful of the plant, or a few drops of the extract.
sea salt, about 1 or 2 teaspoons for 2 quarts.

D. To Make Fermented Drinks

Follow the same steps as with making EM-5, except instead of vinegar and alcohol, you can add various juiced fruits and herbs.

Example recipe for an EM fermented pineapple ginger drink.
Ingredients (example, to make 2 quarts):
EM-1, 5% (3.2 fl oz)
blackstrap molasses, 5% (3.2 fl oz)
juiced ginger (peel the skin and juice it), from 2 to 4 finger lengths.
juiced fresh whole pineapple, as much as can fill the bottle.
water, if there is still space in the bottle, fill with water.

If you do not have a juicer available, you can cut the ginger and pineapple into small strips or pieces, but the juicing will produce a stronger drink.

After juicing, the pulp could be fermented separately.
Use a jar where all of the pulp (ginger pulp and pineapple pulp could fit together).
Use the volume of the jar to calculate the %.
So, if the jar is 16 fl oz, then the amount of EM-1 at 5% will be 0.8 fl oz, and same for molasses (0.8 fl oz).
First put the pulp into the jar.
Then separately mix the molasses with about a 1/2 cup of water, and then add the EM-1 with the molasses and water.
Pour the liquid mix into the jar with the pulp.
Then fill the empty space in the jar with water.
Close the jar and let ferment for two weeks at room temperature.
When the pulp is fermented and ready, you can add it to yogurt, for example.

The fermented drinks and pulp can last a long time.
Always keep airtight.
If kept at room temperature, it will continue to ferment and become stronger and more sour, and the pulp will become even softer.
If you want to stop it from getting stronger, you can put them in the refrigerator.

Note. Warmer temperatures during fermentation may ferment it faster (above 80°F, it may ferment in 7-10 days instead of 14 days). However, for drinks, fermenting in cooler temperatures (50°F~70°F), over time (from maybe the 4th week to the 12th week), the flavors and textures of the drink will become more complex (with initial tastes and after-tastes becoming different).

Label for the fermented drink bottle:
“EM fermented ginger pineapple, Made on
Ready ”

Label for the fermented pulp jar:
“EM fermented ginger & pineapple pulp, Made on
Ready ”