A peg loom is a weaving technology that has been around since at least the Vikings - and probably much longer. The loom is made of a single log with holes at regular spacings. Each hole will fit a peg. Each peg has a hole near the bottom to allow a …

We made a shampoo bar / soap for washing our hair. We did this for the first time in 2021 and after we had used up the first batch, we made a second batch in 2022.

We took every precaution to do this safely. Please familiarize yourself with the process before …

I was looking for a way to create insulated insoles. I considered covering a piece of plastic with felt. As I looked around at what I had laying around to use as a felting template, I considered radiator foil.

The foil is made of a layer of foam and a …

This is a list of experiments Ina and I have been conducting in 2022.

• gardening
  • a third full year of having an allotment garden
  • involved in creating an edible lawn / tiny food forest
  • propagating more plant cuttings
    • elaeagnus varieties
    • fig varieties
    • grape
    • willow
    • red and black currants
• cooking / baking
  • making …

Ina found an interesting video on YouTube a while ago that talked about turning the cherries from Cornus mas (European cornel / gele kornoeille) into something resembling olives.

We have discovered three Cornus mas in the park nearby. This year the trees had a mast year. Naturally we decided to try …

This month I made another batch of apple vinegar. I had harvested a few apples from my mother's front yard. They had fallen down and were brown and desseccated in the middle. The tree had rejected them as viable seeds because of this. The outer part was still usable to …

We did an experiment with felting a back to a recently shaved fleece. The wool came from a Ouessant sheep. Below is a photo series on how we created a sheepskin without having to kill a sheep.

The fleece we started with; fully detached from the sheep.

We mostly followed …

Let's start with a question I get every time I say that I collect nettle seeds: "Why?" Well, for sowing, of course! ;-) ... and other uses. So, why would you want to collect nettle seeds? Here are a few reasons (Source):

• nettles are a source of minerals: they contain iron, calcium …

This is a list of experiments Ina and I have been conducting in 2021.

• gardening
  • Arno taking over full responsibility for the allotment
  • Ina helps with voorcultuur, odd jobs
  • harvesting musterd seeds
  • cleaning musterd seeds
  • harvesting mirabels
  • more hedgelaying at the Proeftuin
  • more planting cuttings
    • raspberry
    • black and red currant …

This month I made mustard from mustard seeds grown in the Proeftuin. The recipe follows further down the page. But first a bit of botany.

Flowers of Sinapis alba (white mustard) being worked by a bee. Lower on the stem you can see the seed pods developing. As the plant …