A second chance at vegan farm life in Bulgaria, plus another curry recipe and some decent ruin porn from Bulgaria's Communist HQ

When I left Rodo’s farm in Hotnitsa last November, I had no planned intention to return, just with the way things were going in my travels. My first experience was pretty great- I was cooking for myself, the first time I had been able to since I started my journey, I had a lot of down time to think and work out some life decisions, and I found wonderful friends amongst the ex-pats that settled in the village. However, I can’t say I was exorbitantly happy at the time, despite all the benefits of being in the village. It was cold and rainy, which meant I cooped myself up inside when I wasn’t working. I didn't really have any incentive to get out of the volunteer house, nor did I make any. I was the only volunteer so I spent a lot of time by myself. Despite all that, though, I overall had a positive experience, especially near the end when I was spending more time with other ex-pats. You can read my initial post about my Hotnitsa farm experience here.

Teaser of what's to come (and because Facebook will only show the first picture when I post this blog)

A couple of months ago, as I was planning my post- Minnebreak travels, I decided I wanted to go back to the farm, since it was on my way into Romania, which I had plans to visit one more time. Initially I was only planning to stay a week but after checking my bank account near the end of my Minneapolis trip I thought financially it would be better for me to stay two weeks, plus I really felt the need for a vegan cleanse after all the rich food I had been eating in Minneapolis (no regrets). I checked in with Rodo to see if I could extend my stay, and he was amenable. So I ditched my plans to go to Bosnia and Montenegro again, instead opting for the Zagreb -> Belgrade -> Sofia -> Veliko Tarnovo route.

Rodo et moi

I arrived at the farm after a long travel day, and already knew that I would be much happier this time around. The vegetation was lush and green, the air was warm, and I could sit on the porch and not freeze to death, so that was great. I was hoping there would be more volunteers this time around, but when I arrived I met Marta, from Spain, who was leaving the next morning. We had a nice dinner and chat together, and I was sorry to see her go.

It stormed and rained a lot while I was in Hotnitsa, so unfortunately I wasn’t able to help Rodo out as much as we both would have liked. I did help plan a lot of seedlings, notably leeks, chilis, and melons, and helped him plant beans around his young corn to create the “three sisters” method of farming, the third being squash growing under the corn. It was nice being out in the sun and working with my hands. Probably my favorite part was during planting, when I eschewed shoes and walked barefoot through the soil, which had become soft and damp after rainfall.

So many baby leeks to plant!

And here I am- dare to say "on leek"??

After last fall I made a small list of goals to keep in mind while I was on the farm. Mainly, don’t stay inside on my computer all the time. I took to going on walks after the morning work, and eventually started running every other day to start building up my endurance for when I go back to camp. The roads around Hotnitsa have a lot of mulberry and plum trees, so for walking motivation some days I would grab a plastic bag and make my way towards a tree or two, lush with fruit, that I had been eying on previous walks.

I spent a lot of time with Warren and Silvi, a couple who owns a bed and breakfast in the village. I went on walks with Silvi and their dogs, was over for dinner a couple of times, and picked cherries with Warren so he could make jam. I found a new friend in Susan, a woman who’s been living in the village for over ten years. I helped her with some odd jobs around the house and she taught me how to cob, which is a building technique using a mixture of clay, soil, sand, and straw to form bricks. It was a really cool experience, and I was happy to be learning a new skill. Susan also has two adorable kitties who love to cuddle and be fawned over, so we had a great time together.

Pal and Pom, my new favorite felines

Hotnitsa Car Boot Sale

Cooking, as always, was a lot of fun on the farm. This time around I made a lot of curries, spicy bean soups, lentils, and variations of potatoes, as there was an abundance of them on the farm. My new favorite meal that had come out of my experimental is a curried lentils and potatoes dish, recipe included at the end. This time I bought peanut butter and soy milk in advance, and had a hearty oatmeal breakfast each morning. In the kitchen there was a jar of TAXAH- or “tahan”, roughly translating into tahini. But I guess there are multiple types of tahini in Bulgaria, as this one was made with sunflower seeds, so technically it was sunflower seed butter. I had never tried it before, but I really liked it, so I’m throwing that into my mix of nut and seed spreads that I’ll use in the future.

One of my creations: polenta and sauteed veggies. Might be some beans in there too.

Morning oatmeal with yellow plums, sunflower seed tahini, cinnamon, and soy milk

The day before I left Warren and Silvi took me out on a tour of different sights in this area of Bulgaria. It’s a tour Warren usually does with guests, so I pitched in for petrol and we took the dogs out of the day. It was a really pleasant way to spend my last full day in Bulgaria for what I can imagine will be some time. We stopped at a monastery, an ethnographic museum/village, the Shipka Monument, which commemorates a battle won between the Turks and the Russians and helped pave the way for Bulgaria’s freedom from the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, a Russian Orthodox cathedral in the town of Shipka, and my favorite, Buzludzha, Bulgaria’s Former Communist Party Headquarters.

Our partners in crime for the day, Cherry and Pudding

Selfie with Silvi

The "UFO"

Technically, it is trespassing to enter Buzludzha, as it’s government property. However, it’s become something of a tourist attraction, and calls for breaking into the building to see the once-ornate mosaiced auditorium, now beyond repair and covered in graffiti. Parts of the ceiling are missing, casting streams of light into the building. The floors are covered in rubbish, and all the outside windows are gone. We were there on a windy, cloudy, rainy day, so although the headquarters in situated on one of the highest points in Bulgaria, you could not see a thing down below. Warren took me up to the top of the tower, which involved climbing some precarious ladder steps, but once we reached the top there was no indication that we were up so high. It was just a wall of gray. Overall though, it was a pretty cool experience.

Partial view from the clouds

Making our way to the top of the tower

Obligatory lavender field pose

I feel as though my time in Hotnitsa met my expectations for what I wanted in terms of relaxing, working outside, eating healthily, and maintaining connections with friends. It was the perfect way to spend the first couple of weeks in June, as it wasn’t unbearably hot, thanks to the awesome thunder and lightning storms that would pass through seemingly every other day.

The day I left, I planned to take the Sofia -> Bucharest train, but jump on at Gorna Orjahovitsa, about 12km from Hotnitsa. As I tend to do, I became a little concerned about how I would make my way to Gorna, as the buses or their timetables aren’t exactly easy to navigate. Fortunately, however, Susan was running into town to drop off a friend at the bus station and run some errands, and offered to take me to Gorna. Before we headed over there, she took me to Arbanasi, a small village on a hill overlooking the city in the distance. We had a coffee on one of the patios with a view, and it was a lovely way to end my time in Bulgaria.

View of VT from Arbanasi

Curried lentils and potatoes

Ingredients:

Green or brown lentils
Yellow potatoes (or probably any type of potato)

Garlic

Bay leaves

Fresh thyme or rosemary

Curry powder

Optional/Customizeable ingredients:

Fresh ginger

Paprika

Red pepper flakes

Soy or coconut milk

Green onions

Cilantro

Parsley

Make lentils: 3 cups water for every 1 cup lentils, add salt, a peeled garlic clove, a bay leaf, and fresh thyme and/or rosemary. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium and cover, cooking until lentils absorb the water and are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Makes enough for 4 servings.

Potatoes: 2 medium yellow potatoes per person, wash, peel (optional) and cube. Place potatoes in a pot, cover with water, add some salt and 2 peeled garlic cloves, and bring to a boil. Cook until a butter knife can easily cut through one of the cubes. Drain the potatoes.

Curry time: Mash the potatoes up a little bit, but let them slightly retain their cube-y chunkiness. Add one serving of the lentils per person. Add a big shake of curry powder, some finely chopped ginger, paprika, some red pepper flakes (if you're into that). Stir it all up. If you're looking for something creamier, you could add a splash of soy milk or coconut milk.

Top with finely chopped green onions, cilantro, parsley, or none of the above. Enjoy!