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 …

Michael O. Church made a model of US social classes in 2012. The percentages given refer to US population numbers only. These models may have a limited correspondence to the social classes of Europe. I have taken the information from the original article and condensed it further.

• Underclass (U) - 10 …

When making bread, the recommendation is to place the dough in a warm spot to rise for about one hour. Since we hardly heat the house in winter (the thermostat is set at 12°C; the living room is a bit warmer still) this proved a bit of a challenge …