ACTIVITIES - another Karma Exchange

This spring's Karma Exchange, on 8. May, was a great time, with new faces and of course new items to swap! Accompanied by a glass of champagne from Quinson and freshly baked muffins 6 women and one man came together, and everyone left with some new items!


Twice a year, in the spring and fall, an eclectic mix of people meets up here at La Vudèle for a Karma Exchange: the swapping of previously loved items like clothes, accessories, food, decoration or sometimes books, of ideas or whatever we would like to pass on. Everyone is welcome to show up, with or without something to physical to exchange: a smile, one's presence, one's spirit are plenty! With a glass of champagne or rosé in hand we sit together and swap, try on, decide to keep, admire, pay a compliment, laugh... enjoy.
 
Spring is a great time to get rid of items found and collected over the winter, be they from the closet, the cellar, the library or wherever. To make room for new items and to de-clutter, to re-discover and re-arrange. The same in the fall, and because people keep asking if they could bring their friends I am certain this fall's Karma Exchange will see more new people!

Happy swapping!

RECIPES - Provencal cailllettes with Swiss chard and Quinoa

This month's recipe uses the last of winter's produce, delicious and nutritious Swiss chard. This leafy green vegetable grows in our climate all year round, what a delight! Provencal cailllettes with Swiss chard and Quinoa or caillettes avec blette et Quinoa are small parcels of goodness and oh so delicious!


As always use the best, organic, freshest ingredients to enjoy nutritious and delicious food. Prepare your meals with love and give this time all your attention. And most importantly: enjoy the process and the result!

caillettes in Swiss chard leaves

• 8 large chard leaves
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 200g cooked Quinoa
• 1 handful finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons currants or raisins 

How to prepare these little packages:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the chard leaves and stems for 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then drain and cut away the stems at the base. Next cut out the wide white part of the stem remaining inside the leaf, cutting a V at the base where it connects with the leaf. Set aside the leaves and cut the stems into small dice (about 1 cm). Set aside 1/2 cup of the blanching water for the baking dish.
2. Bring a good-sized pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and cook the Quinoa until tender, about 15 minutes
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring until very soft, about 5 minutes. Add the diced chard stems and a generous pinch of salt and continue to cook until the stems are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Oil a baking dish that can accommodate all of the chard rolls. In a large bowl mix together the Quinoa, onion mixture, herbs, pepper and currants or raisins. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Place 2 tablespoons of the filling on each chard leaf. Tuck the sides over the filling and roll up the leaves. Place in the baking dish. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top and place 200 ml of the saved chard water in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes, until the chard rolls are hot and the leaves tender. They should retain their bright green color.
6. Serve with warm bread, a delicious cheeze sauce or a red wine sauce

Here is how to roll the parcels

Wishing you bon appétit
and a joyous spring!

ACTIVITIES - 2 extra guest rooms in guesthouse

We opened up our home at La Vudèle as a B&B about four years ago, with a spacious double bedroom with en-suite bathroom, overlooking our garden. Since then many people have come to stay with us and enjoyed the calm and our vegetarian organic breakfast.

Starting this year we can offer two more bedrooms in our guest house which is also part of the old farmhouse La Vudèle. Two modern bathrooms were installed and the entire house restored whilst keeping its original charme, dating back to 1880. Built using traditional methods with solid stone; in front of the house is a large sun terrace, and behind the house you can enjoy the shade on a hot day, with a beautiful view; the Pre-Alpes and Mont Lure are within plain view, and on a clear day the white top of the Mont Ventoux is visible.

La Chambre Bleue
This double bedroom is called "La Chambre Bleue" because of its ancient walls in faded blue and views onto the Provencal blue sky. From the large iron bed measuring a comfortable 2mx2m you have beautiful views toward Provence's tallest mountain, the famous Mont Ventoux.

La Chambre Bleue with awesome skylight in the shower

La Chambre Blanche
This double bedroom is called "La Chambre Blanche" because of its vaulted white ceiling. It offers space and tranquility and beautiful views over lavender and wheat fields. If booking for 3 or 4 people there is connecting room with 2 single beds.

La Chambre Blanche

The rate for each room is € 85 including our copious breakfast with freshly baked sourdough bread

Happy holidays
&
à bientôt!

LIFE AT LA VUDELE - thank you

Claudia & Jim with Mia

October has arrived, the season of contemplation is starting, the sun shines less strong and the evenings get colder... This is also the time to reflect. And to pick up projects left aside during the busy season, like this blog which we stopped in early summer but gathered new ideas, recipes and other news which we will share throughout the winter. 

To reflect is to look back at our activities the past few months which started in March. We hosted many people in our organic vegetarian B&B, all lovely guests from allover the world who stayed with us, not only from all over Europe but also from South Korea, Australia, the US and Canada, Puerto Rico and India and many more places - we would like to thank each one of these persons for having spent some time at La Vudèle, for having brought this energy here.

We also again held yoga workshops which we as hosts enjoyed very much, and judging by the feedback and emails we still receive our participants enjoyed their time here as well. This also gave rise and inspiration for a cook book which turned into the idea of offering yoga & organic vegan cooking weekends for 2016!

Claudia & Jim with Mimie
Mia somewhere else ;-)

We would like to thank all of our guests for making this place so special, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming back some of them next year who already booked for June and July, for the famous lavender season! 

A bientôt!

Jim & Claudia

Mimie & Mia

YOGA - the yoga shala

Yoga & Nature is about enjoying the outdoors of beautiful Provence for our yoga, to integrate nature's beauty, the fresh air, the blue sky, the flowers and - of course - lavender all around us.
~ tadasana - mountain pose - gets a new meaning when we look onto nearby Montdenier, at a majestic 1905 m altitude, and use its immobility and stillness to calm our body and mind
~ during pranayamas we inhale the clean fresh morning air
~ balancing poses like eagle or Vrksasana / tree whilst gazing across lavender fields.
This is Yoga & Nature en Provence...

But sometimes nautre needs a break, and this is when we can use a gorgeous indoor space - the shala - as our practice and mediation space. Part of the oldest section of La Vudèle this room is equipped with large windows to let in the light of Provence and a cast iron
wood-fired stove to warm us.

A beautiful serene space to come together and unwind, to share a practice. This is a peaceful sanctuary. A breathing space. A place for meditation.

Bienvenue et namasté

ACTIVITIES - spring gardening in Provence

Spring is the best time of year: the sun is strong, the doors and windows stay open all day, the birds start their morning concert earlier and earlier, the animal world has come out of hibernation, and the flora is every changing, with new blossoms appearing every day!

Jim's nod to his Dutch heritage