Busy, Busy, Busy… Or Is It?

How often do we say it? “Busy, busy, busy.” But are we really that busy? Or is it something we tell ourselves?

What does busy even mean? A full agenda? A messy planning? Trying to keep too many balls in the air at once? Or just not being very efficient with our time?

When I started writing this blog, I caught myself thinking the same: I’ve been too busy the last few weeks to write an update. No news about our community farm, vegan cooking, my volunteer work, or the fact that I finally became a blood donor.

But honestly? I wasn’t too busy. I just had other priorities. And apparently, those felt more important than writing a blog about my private life. Or… maybe not 😉

Over Rood, Cycling, and Making Choices

Since I joined Over Rood – a Dutch volunteer organization that helps small businesses – I’ve been spending quite some time on it every week. And because I go to all my appointments by bicycle (yes, an electric one 😄), each trip is about 12 km.

So am I busy? Or is it simply a choice to travel a bit slower and enjoy the ride, do some sightseeing along the way, and be more present?

Becoming a Blood Donor (Finally!)

Now that I “have time,” I decided to do something I’ve wanted to do my whole life: become a blood donor. I always thought I was too busy for it. Funny how that works. Yesterday I made my first donation. And guess what? I have a blood type that can be given to anyone. (You can look up which one that is 😉) I was lucky too: in the Netherlands you can only register as a donor if you’re under 64. I was just in time! Now I can donate until I’m 80. That feels pretty good.

News from Our Community Farm

Things are still going great on our community farm. Every week we have a huge amount of vegetables, thanks to our harvest team, the farmer, and all the volunteers who make sure our cold storage is full. Think: Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, Cabbages, Beets. That means we can stay creative in the kitchen all winter long. And if, like me, you also ferment and preserve in jars, the possibilities become even bigger.

So… what did I cook the past weeks? Here are two of my favorites.

Red Cabbage Oven Stew (Vegan)

Ingredients:

For the cabbage:

• 1 red cabbage, finely sliced, 1 large yacon (or an apple) in small dices, 1 cinnamon stick, 5 cloves, 2 bay leaves, A splash of vinegar, 1 tbsp brown sugar, A little water.

For the rest:

• 4 carrots, sliced, 5–7 potatoes, diced, 1 large yellow onion, chopped, 1 garlic clove, chopped, 1 pack vegan minced “meat”, 1 vegan bouillon cube, 1 tsp sambal, Vegan butter, Nutmeg & pepper.

Preparation:

1. Put the red cabbage and yacon (or apple) in a pan with cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, vinegar, sugar, and a little water. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer for about 45 minutes. Remove the spices and set aside.

2. Cook the carrots and potatoes with the bouillon cube until soft. Drain (save the liquid for soup or gravy). Mash with vegan butter, nutmeg, and pepper. Set aside.

3. Fry the onion and garlic in oil. Add the vegan mince, then the sambal. Stir-fry for a few minutes. Set aside.

4. Grease an oven dish with vegan butter.

• First layer: red cabbage (with its juices)

• Second layer: onion/garlic/mince

• Third layer: carrot–potato mash

5. Add a few cubes of vegan butter on top and bake at 220°C until you get a nice golden crust.

Enjoy! You can vary endlessly with other cabbages, spices, and mash combinations.

Sautéed Cabbage in Coconut–Peanut Sauce with Rice

Ingredients:

For the vegetables:

• 1 white cabbage & 1 savoy cabbage, sliced, 2–3 carrots, diced, 500 ml coconut milk, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 yellow onion, sliced, Garlic- to taste, Sambal - to taste, Curry powder - to taste.

For the rice:

• 1 large cup basmati rice, Mustard seeds, A few cloves, Coconut butter or oil.

Preparation:

1. Blanch the cabbages for a few minutes. Do the same with the carrots.

2. In a wok, heat some oil and fry the onion and garlic. Add curry powder and sambal. Stir-fry for a minute.

3. Add coconut milk and peanut butter. Stir until smooth. Add the cabbage and carrots and let it simmer.

4. For the rice:
   Heat coconut butter in a pan, add mustard seeds and cloves. When the seeds start to “pop,” add the rice and stir for a minute. Add 1.5× the volume of the rice in water. Simmer 7–8 minutes, turn off the heat, let it rest 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

5. Serve rice with the cabbage on top and sprinkle with chopped cashews.

Again, two beautiful winter dishes made with vegetables from our own community farm. Simple, nourishing, and full of flavor. Maybe we’re not as busy as we think. Maybe we’re just choosing what really matters.