A sample of the species I harvested. From top to bottom and from left to right, starting in the left top corner:

• leaf of Armoracia rusticana (horseradish / mierik)
• leaf of Galium aparine (cleavers / kleefkruid)
• leaf of Achillea millefolium (common yarrow / duizendblad)
• leaf of Claytonia perfoliata (Indian lettuce / winterpostelein)
• flower of …

Since Sunday 2017-07-30 I have been involved with gardening at the Proeftuin Meerhoven in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. This is a community garden maintained by volunteers in the neighborhood adjoining ours. We use the space with approval from the local council. In addition to helping with gardening, I learned a lot …

Below are a number of examples of growing complexity due to available energy surplus. As the available energy inexorably turns down we will be forced to live by the Permaculture principle of Use Slow and Small Solutions.

Car:

• 1800s: engine, brakes, frame, wheels, steering wheel;
• 2020s: as above but with …

I cannot say for certain when I became aware of Permaculture. There were hints, websites read, questions asked. My partner Ina has been an active participant in researching and proposing activities. She was instrumental in nudging me over a few thresholds. I am very grateful to have her in my …

This is a list of experiments Ina and I have been conducting during the summer of 2020.

• deepen experience with baking bread with sourdough starter
  • different types of flour
• ferments
  • using sourdough starter for things other than bread
• drying
  • nettle
  • mint
  • leaves of horseradish (blad mierik)
• growing seedlings
• growing cutlings …

Here are some of my presentations on baking bread and using a sourdough starter.

• Introduction to Bread Making
• Bread Making - Step by Step

I have kept a record of the steps I take in making bread. Below is a table that shows the times for one such sessions. The introduction …

Here is a presentation with an introduction to fermentation.

• Introduction to Fermentation

I have been making bread regularly since 2017. As I look through the photo's I have made over the years I notice quite a shift in how I do things now versus how I did them when I started out.

Notable changes:

• I started using more water in my dough …

This is a list of experiments Ina and I have been conducting in July and Augst of 2019. Some things I put under several headings as they contain elements of both.

• ferments
  • mirabel ferment
  • beet ferment
  • ketchup ferment
  • sugar ferment
  • whole tomato ferment
  • hot pepper and garlic ferment
  • getting to …

A few days ago a friend and I set out to do an experiment in distilling alcohol from a fermented sugar solution.

On 2019-04-13, I put the sugar ferment together as follows:

Yeast starter:

• 1l water
• 100g sugar
• 12g yeast nutrient (voedingszout)
• 5g yeast

Sugar solution:

• 2l water
• 2kg sugar …