Experiments in 2025

Posted on 2025-12-31 16:02:00+01:00 in blog • Written by Arno Peters

This is a list of experiments Ina and I have been conducting in 2025.

food
- drying stinging nettle leaves and seeds to make protein powder
- baking bread weekly
- making chives flower vinegar - beautiful pinkish color
- making a lemon-rosemary ferment - very tasty!
- making lemon curd - very tasty!
- making jam and jelly from mirabel and peach
- making vegetable ferment - failed with fungi growing on top
- cooking with pressure cooker
  - found a new favorite recipe for beans and rice
  - steaming elderberry
    - making elderberry syrup from juices
  - steaming quinces and cooking pears
    - canning a combination of quince and cooking pears
    - making syrup from the juices
  - steaming quinces
    - making jelly from quince juices
    - making sauce from quince parts
  - steaming apples
    - making apple sauce from apple solids
    - making syrup from apple juices
sewing
- learning about sewing techniques from Evelyn Wood
- constructing a long sleeve polo shirt
- mending clothes
  - frayed trouser legs
  - mending holes in socks, underwear, T-shirts
  - changing the elastic band in socks
gardening
- helping out at Proeftuin Meerhoven
  - harvested nettles, beans, pumpkin, chives, basil, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, almond, red currents, black currents, gooseberry (kruisbes), josta berry, blackberry, all kinds of cabbage
  - sieving soil to remove stones and construction waste
- helping out at Voedselbos Weverkeshof
  - harvested mirabel, plum
- helping out at Voedselbos Eindhoven
  - harvested nettles
  - harvested peaches
  - harvested black current, wineberry
  - harvested rowan berries (lijsterbes)
  - harvested sweet chestnut
  - manned a harvest/outreach stand
- maintaining front and back yard
  - harvested raspberry
  - harvested mirabel
  - harvested zucchini, broad beans and cherry tomatoes
  - harvested grapes
  - pruned mirabel tree, butterfly bush
- wild foraging
  - harvested blackberry, elderberry (vlierbes)
physical exercise
- working on frozen shoulder by gentle stretching
- weekly appointment at sport park for cycling, running and climbing
- started with daily 5BX
- on work days lunch walks in the park (~2km)
- evening walks (2-4km)
- weekly longer walks (8-12km)
- removing a corn on my foot
spiritual development
- morning pages
- bullet journaling
- twice daily meditation
- weekly learning about Vedanta
- weekly Qi Gong practice
- spending 10 days in complete darkness
- attending a week at Yoga Vidya ashram
- attending mantra singing
- working with trauma / emotions
  - by writing about it (bullet journal / morning pages)
  - by body movement (Tension Release Exercise / mantra yoga)
  - by meditating
  - by attending retreats
social
- connecting with nature
- connecting with friends
- connecting with family
- connecting with volunteers and visitors at food forest Eindhoven
- connecting with volunteers of Proeftuin Meerhoven
- connecting with volunteers of Dorpsboerderij Weverkeshof
- connecting with members of sowing club
- connecting with visitors of community center Nieuwe Maan
- connecting with dancers at Ketelhuisplein and other venues
- connecting with sevakas, volunteers and visitors of Yoga Vidya ashram