LIFE AT LA VUDELE - spring gardening

Every year, or rather: continuously, we work on our vegetable garden. 'Continuously' because we use permaculture as the basis which utilizes many different factors like the moon phases; creating our own compost, of course no fertilizers but to us nothing which comes from the outside; local plant varieties and seeds from a trusted source; rain water captured in a basin; the sun's movement; and our own two hands.

cherry tree in bloom in our garden

This year we finally managed to source the materials for a cold frame, like an old window très local, ie. at our neighbors' who had their windows replaced. More on that in our April postings because starting this year we can offer 2 more guest rooms at our organic B&B! Anyway, the end of February, in 

RECIPES - delicious grilled tofu dinner

grilled tofu with its typical marks

At our organic vegetarian (and most of the time vegan) dinner table or table d'hôtes" we serve seasonal regional dishes with local produce and products, something we are very proud of and enjoy offering to our guests from allover the world.

Because exploring the many facets of vegetarianism (and more and more veganism) is so important to us we like preparing meals either with a twist and/or with ingredients most people have heard of but either never tried or never managed to create in their own kitchen. Enter tofu!

How many times we have heard that our guests had either tried making tofu themselves at home but didn't like it or had not tried it before for fear of its possible bland taste. And how many times did we hear, during or after the dinner, that they had never thought tofu could taste this good!

grilled tofu with couscous and seasonal vegetables

It all starts with the best ingredients, and in this case with the best tofu. Fresh is best. And because we are located away from shops and conurbation we prefer to source regionally as well. We found organic tofu at our favorite organic store in Manosque, La Nature et Vous, a truly local store run by Agnes and her very friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable staff of 5, from the local producer Tossolia in upper Provence, near Sault, about 1 hour from Manosque. This is the only kind - fresh tofu from the cooler section - which tastes nice, absorbs the flavors of a marinade, and can pass as tofu.

Here is the recipe for grilled tofu as served under the mulberry tree at La Vudèle or in our cozy farmhouse kitchen, always prepared on our rustic gas stove using a Le Creusset cast-iron grill pan:

1. drain the tofu thoroughly for at least half an hour
2. cut the tofu in even slices, to ensure even cooking
3. blend a marinade with organic toasted sesame oil, organic grapeseed oil and some organic soy sauce
4. coat tofu with the marinade and allow to infuse for at least 4 hours
5. frequently reapply marinade to ensure even coating
6. heat the grill pan and apply an even layer of organic grapeseed oil
7. once oil is hot place your tofu slices on the pan and cook on each side for at least 5 minutes 

The slices will come out with the typical grill marks sans the toxic aspects of a charcoal BBQ
Serve with freshly steamed couscous infused with fennel seeds, garnished with fresh mint

Sautée sliced onions and garlic, add fresh spinach or Swiss chard
Sprinkle freshly ground linseed for Omega-3 over the couscous

Prepare a sauce of homemade organic peanut butter, organic oat milk, organic sesame oil, a splash of your favorite red wine, rice vinegar, agave syrup and freshly sliced ginger

One of our guests wrote in our guest book: "thanks for the best tofu ever". Thank you Michal from Gdansk!

And please, you all, let us know how you go on with your own tofu cooking experience back home!

Wishing you bon appetit!

 

 

LIFE AT LA VUDELE - fall gardening: the lasagna bed

lasagna bed in fall

As we are easing into fall - also here in Provence - it is time to get our outdoor affairs in order. For us that means not only our garden with fig, plum and cheery trees but also, and possibly most importantly, our vegetable garden, le potager

For those of you interested in gardening you may have heard the term "lasagna bed" or "lasagna gardening" during your visit here at La Vudèle. A strong believer of natural living within the rhythm of time and nature we employ the methods of permaculture in our vegetable garden. Aided by rainwater harvesting in the bassin right next to our veggie patch using a small bucket on a rope and Claudia's muscle power; companion planting to use the benefits of each plant without disturbing the eco balance; and crop rotation planting. Plus leaving "weeds" in bloom for the many bees, wasps and other busy insects to nourish themselves from so that the eco system can live and thrive.

 

Provencal sky in October

So in October and November we have been busy preparing the vegetable beds by layering nitrogen, ie. brown leaves with carbon, like green leaves, and compost material which we add all winter long. This is a method we have been using for the third season now, with amazing results! And all under the blue sky of Provence - simply perfect!
 
With the aid of this layering method called "lasagna gardening" we have been able to greatly improve the soil of our vegetable garden, which had not seen any production since tante Louise, the great-great aunt of our neighbor and original owner of La Vudèle used it, many many decades ago.

 Whatever is in season we share with our guests during our meals or table d'hôtes, be it freshly harvested string beans, courgettes, various leafy greens, tiny tasty melons and lately various types of pumpkins. Very delicious!

Bon appetit!