Sometimes in life, our purpose shifts — what once felt full of promise may take a turn, stall out, or transform into something entirely new. But that doesn’t mean it’s wasted. Often, it’s just moving into the next part of the cycle, quietly waiting to feed something we can’t see yet.
Lately, I’ve been working on a small compost area here at Earthly Harvest — nothing fancy, just a few old pallets stood up together with a bit of wood across the top for shade. Simple, practical, made from what was already on hand.
The first thing to hit the pile wasn’t kitchen scraps or leaves, but a failed fruiting block. I’d inoculated it with chestnut mushrooms back in August, and when nothing happened, I gave the pearl oysters a turn. They tried for a bit, but eventually stalled out. At one point, I even marked the edge of the mycelium with a Sharpie to track its growth… but after a few weeks, it was clear the block had reached its limit.
This week, that old block found a new purpose — the first addition to the compost heap. There was something oddly satisfying about tossing it in there, knowing it will slowly break down and feed the soil that will one day feed something else.
Out here, not everything works out as planned. But nothing truly goes to waste — it just changes form and keeps the cycle moving.
Where mushrooms, plants, and ideas grow... 
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