Eric Wiese

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since Apr 08, 2019
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Recent posts by Eric Wiese

We are about to build a retaining wall. While moving some soildirt I sifted it as well and obtained small rocks that I'd like to use as the gravel. I want to ask if this gravel is acceptable to certify for this BB or should I resort to buying a big bag of sharp gravel? Which I'd like to avoid, if possible.
4 months ago
Using your notes

When I write notes in Obsidian I use a shortcut (CMD+O or CTRL+O) to create a new file. A great side-effect of doing so is that as I type I am being presented with suggestions that match the new file name.

For example, I am taking notes about cover cropping and about to add a new note, as I type "Cover crop" I see suggestions like "Cover crops suppress weeds", "Cover crops attract beneficial insects" and so on. It helps keeping track of previously obtained information.

It also helps making new connections of old notes (a structure emerging). I was just about to make a new note that Masanobu Fukuoka uses clover as permanent cover crops. While typing in "clover", I see suggestions like "clover loves phosphate" or that "perennial clover can be used for garden paths". I can now edit each of these notes to link them to a higher topic I call "Clover". Over time, I know my notes around Clover will grow and whenever I am dealing with this plant or consider it, I can consult my notes and quickly find relevant information.
5 months ago
I've been taking notes for four years. Well, at first it was rather a battle to get into the habit and I failed often, stopped taking notes for month.

For half a year now, I have been following the Zettelkasten method for taking notes. It's working well for me and I actually keep taking notes. So well, that I feel ready to share some interesting insights in connection to Permaculture.

Short explainer what the Zettelkasten method is
It is a system for organizing and storing information. It is based on the idea of putting all of your notes ("Zettel") into a physical box (the "Kasten"), and let the structure emerge. The system was invented by Niklas Luhmann, and he demonstrated the success of his method clearly, the amount of books and articles he wrote in his lifetime is staggering.

Each note is meant to be atomic, not further divisible into separate ideas.
Notes can also reference another note (more on that later).

The notes can be of 3 types:
  • fleeting notes: notes that are meant to be worked with later, those include for example shower thoughts, rough ideas
  • literature notes: quotes from books, videos and other media (make sure to include the source). Next to the quote, it's also beneficial to rephrase the content in your own words.
  • permanent notes: original thoughts and complete ideas. These notes are meant to be kept forever and usable


  • How I combine notes
    There are different techniques to link notes to other notes. I personally use the Compass Method, thinking of the 4 cardinal directions a note could point to (where does it come from? where does it lead to? What's related? What's the opposite?)
    The links are what make this system so powerful. A random assembly of ideas turns into a structured web of thought.

    Consequences of this system
    The benefits come over time, notes are not just notes anymore, they become smart notes. Notes stand in reference to each other, can point to further resources. As said earlier, a structure emerges (see screenshots), and this structure helps to correlate ideas, follow train of thoughts and gain new insights.

    Psychologically, I also get a little dopamine hit when creating a permanent note. Very motivating, for me at least.

    Combining it with modern software
    I personally use Obsidian for taking these notes. It allows me to forget about keeping folders. I can very quickly find notes through the quick search.

    The first thing that impressed me using Obsidian was the Graph View which can show you all your notes and their connections but also filtered down to the connections of a single note.

    I attached an example of one note which is called "List of elements for The Pines". The note is a basic list of elements we have and want in one part of our homestead. I took a snapshot of the graph while it's still relatively simple but already showing the power of this system. For example we want to "shade" the area, just by virtue of referencing "Shade" we already get one extra idea of "handing clothes to dry" which creates shade. Or the area is next to the "West Wall" of our house. I have a note I took from Gaia's Garden that explains what kind of microclimate a west wall creates.

    I will keep taking notes and I expect this graph to grow and giving more insights.

    The Zettelkasten method is permaculture-esque
    Not only does it generate "permanent" notes but it really focuses a lot on the connections of notes and ideas. It encourages to take note of observations. I find it very helpful for research. Personally, it also helps me to actually read books in a way that I can retain the information better.

    I hope you find this information useful.
    5 months ago
    We sure do have a lot of rocks so it's nice to find more uses for rocks.

    I generally pile them in circles around trees in hope of them catching some moisture from the surrounding air and directing it into the soil. If they can also shelter small lizards, that's an added bonus!

    We do have snakes here as well, but I have never seen them around our garden yet, although they would be a welcomed guest because we also do have mice and I suspect they keep stealing our seeds we plant each year.
    6 months ago
    I've occasionally seen a toad here and there but not as much in my garden. I'm happy I have found this badge bit that nudged me to build those little buggers some shelters.

    We have a lot of rocks, so my top choice for building toad apartments were long flatish rocks.
    6 months ago
    We filled a longish hole today that was soft and puddling. We used gravel and packed some heavy clay soil between the gravel.
    Because it was so soft and puddly, to top it off, we also added a small drain into the field next to the dirt road.
    6 months ago
    This is how I made my first Thyme Tincture

    Harvesting the Thyme


    Washed it until the rinsed water turned mostly clear


    Leave it to dry and once dry start separating leaves from stem which is quite some work. Also the fingers start turning black after a while (maybe that's why witches often are depicted having black fingers?) so you probably want to wear gloves the next time.
    I fill the jar up to 2/3.



    After that, I labeled the jar with the latin name and the common name as well as the dated of bottling and the alcohol type and content


    I fill so much to cover the leaves by a couple centimeters. After that putting the jar in a dry and cool place to let the alcohol extract the compounds.



    I'll be shaking it twice a day for the next 8 weeks. Always making sure that all leaves stay submerged in alcohol to prevent molding.
    The date to bottle tincture is January 5th 2024.


    ## Bottling
    Now that 8 weeks have passed, it's time to bottle it up.

    I'm using a simple cheese cloth here to squeeze out as many drops as I can. The strained tincture has a strong tint and it smells a lot like thyme, reminding me of when I was a kind, taking cough syrup.

    10 months ago
    I added the link to the dish soap in my BBN submission post. I hope that updating the original post works, I don't want to spam the server with the same pictures again :)
    10 months ago
    I'm always washing up by hand. And I think I can rival the efficiency of dishwashers. Especially in energy use but also water use.

    While researching, I found that how water is good for getting oily stuffs clean and kill some bacteria but both things can be combated with elbow grease as well. Most pathogens are cleaned off using dish soap, so hot water (especially in the summer months) is not needed, thus a big energy saver.

    Regarding water use, I found my preferred technique reducing water needs to very little, a bit less than modern dishwashers.
    I use 2 sinks, dirty dishes on one side, as I clean the dishes with a lufa sponge, which is biodegradable, I stack place them unrinsed in the other sink.
    I only start rinsing when all dishes have been sponged. This way, the water that trickles down onto the dishes below giving them a pre-rinse. While we didn't have a solar heater, I used rinse with cold water in the summer months and warm water in winter (otherwise it's getting painfully cold).
    I attached pictures of the water collected with the plugged sink. I think I meet the 3 gallons requirement but you be (literally) the judge.

    I also took a time lapse of the process



    I am glad about the nudge to move to more sustainable dish soap, I heard that soap generally is not a problem in grey water systems, but now I know there's a step beyond. So I got this dish soap only using biodegradable ingredients, that also has the EU Ecolabel.
    10 months ago
    We inherited a dull bow-saw, some teeth were knocked out partially, too. Cutting with it kind of worked but I really want it to work at its best performance so I am very happy to learn how to sharpen a bow saw.

    I watched the tutorial
    I got the tools needed (flat, rattail and triangle and saw set)
    I watched the tutorial again
    I sharpened the bow sow on a healthy cold winter morning

    The cutting experience did improve a lot 👌
    10 months ago