EXTRA - free soap

The signature C'etrange natural soap - free with every purchase in December and January 2015 

Produced here at La Vudèle by Claudia and Jim many of our guests and visitors have already tried this line of all natural cosmetics, never tested on animals, only on and by Jim ;-)

Listed below please find the complete list of ingredients according to INCI laws (complete declaration of ingredients in Latin). We added the English translation to make it easier for our customers to read and understand the labels. Because we want you to know what is in our products: 100% pure, 100% natural


ingredients INCI: aqua - pure spring water+, olea Europaea - olive oil+, helianthus annus - sunflower oil*, cocos nucifera - coconut oil+, cera alba - beeswax+ and essential oils  depending on the scent composition
* Divine Lavender with the mesmerizing scent of Provence
* English Rose the queen of flowers
* Terre de Provence with the fresh scent of Provence, rosemary and cypress
* Pure Nature with extra olive oil, without essential oils
* certified by AB Agriculture Biologique, France's national logo for organic products since 1985. Organic products carrying the logo must contain more than 95 percent organic components, and be produced or processed within the EU
° certified by ECOCERT, certification body for sustainability
+ natural ingredient

* exclusively handmade
* 100% natural ingredients
* perfect for allergy sufferers
* free of chemicals and additives
* free of artificial coloring
* tested by friendly people

~ WE NEVER TEST OUR PRODUCTS ON ANIMALS ~

We are also offering our fantastic English Rose face balm at 30% off in December and January, plus of course a free bar of soap! Visit www.cetrange.com and receive this fantastic product, enriched by extra shea butter, for € 13.30 instead of € 19.

Wonderfully moisturizing skin balm for dry and mature skin, with the nourishing properties of shea butter, avocado oil, with the precious properties of rose oil
* skin type: normal, dry & mature
* benefit: moisturizing, nourishing

This face balm is ideal as a night cream but in the colder months and for dry skin also works well as a day cream. Customers with psoriasis and dermatitis have all exclaimed the almost immediate improvement of their long-lasting skin conditions which makes us not only very proud of the positive results of the natural ingredients chosen for these products but also extremely happy for these people!

* NEW:  gift certificates of any value (valid 2 years) *

Since 2001 C'etrange creates exclusively handcrafted, all-natural products based on the positive benefits of aromatherapy. All products are made by hand using only the purest ingredients: the most natural plant oils and the purest essential oils. All products are perfect for vegetarians and lovers of all things natural.

* Since 2004 all C'etrange products are certified as cruelty-free by the Deutsche Tierschutzbund e.V.
* Member of Veg'Asso and OneVoice

moments of sheer purity . . Schöne Dinge für die Sinne . . un instant de bonheur . .

moments of sheer purity . . Schöne Dinge für die Sinne . . un instant de bonheur . .

moments of sheer purity . . Schöne Dinge für die Sinne . . un instant de bonheur . .



 

ACTIVITIES - no olive picking this year

What a joy and gastronomical pleasure it is to taste one's own hand-picked, organic olive oil! We pick in December ... but not this year...

Early December is usually the time we get cracking: supplied with small baskets and bags we descend onto our olive grove of about 200 trees, located between La Vudèle and Quinson, and we pick this delicious fruit for a good 10 days. We pick by hand. We pick slowly. We stop for a hearty lunch in the warming winter sun. We enjoy sharing this time with friends like Lynn, our American friend in Quinson/Grenoble/Berlin who usually makes a special trek to Provence every year to participate in the harvesting and grace us with her fantastic singing; various friends who happen to be around; guests of our B&B who want to experience this special time.

Not so this year.

With a very short winter and a very long spring including weeks of rain fall the quality of the olives this year was so devastating that it was not worth it to pick the few which were left on the tree to turn them into mediocre quality oil which will not keep very long.

Here some images of past olive harvests:

20009 Alexander & family and Chan came up from Aix...

 

... and we enjoyed a lovely lunch in the sun

special olive picking baskets for easy picking

Elmer came down from the Netherlands last year...

... and Katja with Alice from Hamburg

2012 with Linda & Josh from New York at the mill...

our harvest last year!

... and after a little more than an hour with our own olive oil!

sharing a delicious dinner with Elmer

some olives we cure in brine for the summer

2013 with Lynn and Marie-Louise from the Netherlands

Hopefully next year we will be back on track! If you want to partake in this experience look on our web site for details and dates

Happy walking in Quinson!

RECIPES - a vegan Christmas

  

Winter offers a cornucopia full of delicious fruits and vegetables, and accentuated by legumes, nuts, grains and essential oils we can make use of these fantastic ingredients. Why not incorporate that into a vegetarian holiday dinner?

As we promote a vegetarian and almost vegan lifestyle here at La Vudèle we would like to give you some ideas for the holiday table. When busy cooking for our guests at our table d'hôtes we tend to forget to take photos of our creations... Fortunately our guest Solli from Sweden/Paris took some during her stay in June and posted the recipes on her blog; these dishes work really well for a fancy dinner with friends and family and are all animal cruelty-free.

The starter: a warming flageolet bean soup with freshly sprouted alfalfa

The main course: slow-cooked risotto with freshly cracked linseeds

The dessert (to be dressed up with sparkle and glitter, of course!): lavender custard with cranberries

For more ideas, inspirational photos and actual recipes visit Andrew Olsen http://www.oneingredientchef.com/vegan-thanksgiving-recipes/

Winter greens abound, with Swiss chard popping up everywhere in our vegetable garden, next to the compost or simply in the middle of the lawn (where previously we had had our veggie patch; just keeps growing!). Try a Swiss chard pesto over pasta - absolutely gorgeous!

Enjoy your home-cooked meals
and thank you for thinking of the animals that did not
have to suffer and were not killed for this meal!

Jim & Claudia

YOGA - weekend workshop September '14

another wonderful yoga weekend

Just like last September, this weekend - running from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening - saw us practicing yoga in the outdoors around La Vudèle. Under the blue sky of Provence...

The June date with focus on meditation and pranayamas, the September date with an introduction to the 7 chakras. For the September date we welcomed a return visitor from last year, Conny! Weekends of yoga outdoors, blue skies, sun, fresh air and warmth. 

For 2015 there will be 3 dates to enjoy Yoga & Nature, yoga practice outdoors, surrounded by the sound of birds, the rustle of leaves in the wind, the feel of the warming sun on the skin, the eyes feasting on the blue of the Provencal sky...

yoga weekend 15. - 17. May &11. - 13. September (Friday afternoon - Sunday evening)

yoga retreat 21. - 26. June (Sunday afternoon - Friday morning) - 4 spaces left

Namasté!

EXTRA - C'etrange Christmas present

The C'etrange Christmas special - 3 products of natural cosmetics - produced at La Vudèle - in a wooden gift box

Created and produced right here at La Vudèle by Claudia and Jim many of our guests and visitors have already tried this line of all natural cosmetics which is never tested on animals. No chemicals or parabens are used nor artificial scents: only the purest ingredients like olive oil, shea butter and Aloe vera.

Nestled into the beautiful wooden C'etrange gift box choose from one of three sets of precious natural cosmetics, either for yourself or as a present to someone you care about

* Divine Lavender with the mesmerizing scent of Provence € 36
* English Rose the queen of flowers € 50
* Terre de Provence with the fresh scent of Provence, rosemary and cypress € 35shipping is only € 6.50 anywhere in the world

* NEW:  gift certificates of any value (valid 2 years) *

Since 2001 C'etrange creates exclusively handcrafted, all-natural products based on the positive benefits of aromatherapy. All products are made by hand using only the purest ingredients: the most natural plant oils and the purest essential oils. All products are perfect for vegetarians and lovers of all things natural.

Each C'etrange product is handcrafted with the finest, most natural ingredients. Based on the holistic approach - how all aspects of our life affect our well-being - we use the purest oils as base oils, and to refine the characteristics, we add finest essential oils found in aromatherapy.

* All products are exclusively handmade

* Only 100% natural ingredients

* Perfect for allergy sufferers

* Free of chemicals or additives

* Free of artificial coloring

* Tested by friendly people, not on animals*

* Since 2004 all C'etrange products are certified as cruelty-free by the Deutsche Tierschutzbund e.V.
* Member of Veg'Asso and OneVoice

moments of sheer purity . . Schöne Dinge für die Sinne . . un instant de bonheur . .

moments of sheer purity . . Schöne Dinge für die Sinne . . un instant de bonheur . .

moments of sheer purity . . Schöne Dinge für die Sinne . . un instant de bonheur . .

ACTIVITIES - a unique walk in the lower gorge of Quinson

following the ancient canal of Provence

Since June of 2014 and after extensive renovations the foot path -  unique in the gorge du Verdon - is open to the public again, and a "must-do" when visiting Quinson! 

An easy walk for everybody this path  takes you along the river Verdon, and into the actual gorge: spectacular, beautiful, calming! Dotted with several view points and rest stops to take a break and enjoy the view - like three huge tree stumps serving as seats - this path takes you along the ancient canal of Provence, a previously very important waterway in this arid region: canal to the left, river on the right, and you in the middle - simply awesome! 

The short route is an easy 30 minutes to the restored canal guard's hut and very flat. From here one can return via the same way or continue through a short tunnel to walk a 3-hour circuit, either via the chapel Sainte Maxime or the wide tranquil path, to the top of the plateau, with splendid views across the landscape all the way to the mountains standing at almost 2000m and the "big" gorge near Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.

walking IN the gorge

What makes this walk even more special is the fact that it can be reached leaving directly from La Vudèle: a leisurely 45-minute descent to Quinson, a stroll through the village and along its 8 fountains et voilà, the trail head for the gorge! 

Of course there is always the alternative of exploring the river by boat, be it canoe, kayak, pedal boat or electric boat. 

Happy walking in Quinson!

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!