help this newbie to composting

[snoopy5386]

So last fall I started a very small compost bin, my first attempt at composting. I started with a layer of fall leaves and have been adding food all winter. We had a very cold winter so basically everything I put in there stayed frozen until now. Now that it is spring it looks like I basically have a pile of rotting food. I have mixed it up with the leaves a bunch, but yeah, basically rotting and some moldy looking fruits and veggies. Is this what it is supposed to look like while it is composting? Or am I doing something wrong? I added a bag of dryer lint to it today for more "brown" material. I don't really have a source for brown material over the summer, what do you all use? A service cuts our grass so we have no access to clippings (can't change that part of the deal where we live). I have a bale of hay that has been sitting around for a year, I was going to put it out to the curb but I can use it as "brown" material if that works.
Thanks for any advice!

[MariesMama]

Sounds like me ... and I got some snarky answers about what I did wrong when I posted my issues a while ago.

What I did though, that seems to be helping a lot:

Mix it up every day or every other day. Add shredded brown paper, toilet paper rolls, newspaper, etc for "brown". The hay will help but will also take a while to break down. Add soil! Mine was a big frozen mess not three weeks ago due to drainage issues, and it's looking and smelling just like compost now with a few exceptions.

[Stitches]

I live somewhere cold too and I what I put in during the winter just sits frozen until spring. I find thin layers of brown in between the kitchen scraps work the best, if there is too much dry material it just does nothing. Watering the compost helps a lot too, it does need moisture, and some soil helps. Also, going to a coffee shop and asking for a big bag of used coffee grounds...they help make great compost.