Who are we and what are we doing in rural France?

Well, first things first.  I guess an introduction is in order.  We are Laura and Ashley, two American girls who went to Paris to study at age eighteen and now, seven years, an education and some work experience later, have left the city of lights with our respective partners to live in the French countryside and pursue dreams of a more fulfilling, self-sufficient, eco-friendly, sustainable and slower way of living.  In short, the good life. Something which in France inevitably involves good food.  So we thought we would start a blog to share with you all our adventures in this pursuit: the ups and downs of organic gardening, mouthwatering recipes, tips for living on the cheap, as well as the exploits of Maya and Kali, the pointer sisters (Laura's puppies), and Bandit the chihuahua, so far our only livestock.

Comments

[May]

WOW--love the new look! And your garden is incredible! Can't wait to see green stuff in it!
Mary

[Amie]

Laura,

Though our paths have not crossed since my first year at AUP in 03-04, I'm so glad that we have remained 'friends' on facebook because it led me to this lovely blog! : ) I, too, love vegetables (especially zucchini!) and hope to be an avid gardener someday. For now I just help my housemate with her garden and my dad with his.

I look forward to reading your stories, seeing your pictures and trying your recipes! : )

Best!
Amie (Furry) Berryhill

[Laura]

Hi Amie,
It is great to hear from you, and nice to find I am not the only one obsessed with vegetables!
Perhaps we should start a support group. :)
Best of luck with your own growing efforts, and I am sure you'll find a way to have your own garden soon!
Take care,
Laura

[Jane Radoszewski]

Thanks so much for the recipes. I am always looking for new ways to fix vegetables. The pasta sauce looks wonderful. Good luck with the garden.
Jane

[Laura]

Thanks! I'm glad to hear you are finding the recipes useful!

[Laurra]

super idée de blog Laura!

bonne continuation,

je t'embrasse fort, ainsi que ton mari et des 2 adorables chiens.

Laura (Fernandez)

[Laura]

Merci! Je suis super contente que tu es venue sur le blog et que tu l'apprécies! Tu es toujours la bienvenue chez nous si tu viens à Paris.
Gros bisous,
xx Laura

[Yenta Mary]

I'm so jealous! Good for you, following your heart's content ... :)

foodfloozie.blogspot.com
twitter.com/foodfloozie

[Laura]

It might be a bumpy road ahead, but it is definitely worth it! I would heartily recommend the move to anyone (go for it!).

[Heiko]

Thanks for visiting my blog. It's heartening to see that not only ageing hippies like myself are doing their bit to change the world. You guys being young AND American can restore your faith in humanity :) Keep at it!

[Laura]

Thanks Heiko! It has been great discovering other blogs of those who have been at it a lot longer than we have - no need to reinvent the wheel! And rest assured, it is definitely catching on among people our age and younger. As traditional channels of knowledge transmission have broken down in modern society, I think the net can be a useful tool for ensuring the knowledge you guys have acquired continues to be passed on.

[Jake]

Lucky! I would love to be in rural France and the french country...

french country kitchen
country french kitchen

[Laura]

Hi Jake, welcome to the blog. It does seem quite strange that this is my life sometimes. Not quite sure how fate or luck conspired to get me here, but I'm sure glad it did!

[Leesa]

What a great story for you two.. I'm sure it's very beautiful where you are b/c whenever we travel through France by car, I fall in love with it's greenness and and beauty... Enjoy! Leesa

[Laura]

Hi Leesa, thanks for visiting our blog, and thank you for your comments! We hope you enjoy the recipes, and we look forward to more comments from a fellow gardening and cooking enthusiast!

[Roz]

Your One pot yoghurt cake, I've been experimenting (again) so far I've done Pineapple, apple and hazelnut, choc chip, lemon, sultana and today I've done a carrot cake, your recipe has now become my standard when it comes to cakes, never fail, moist and tasty.
http://rozinbrittany.blogspot.com/

[Laura]

Hi Roz, that's great! Glad you're getting so much use out of the recipe. It definitely makes it simpler to think about baking a cake, and the combinations are endless! I didn't think about chocolate chip - will definitely have to give that a try :)

[Barbara Walton]

Hi Laura

I have put together a final Pup Hub - What our Puppies Did Next and I'm sending it to you first because it's mostly your material. I've put links to your blog and YouTube. Let me know if you would rather it was not on line and I'll remove it. http://hubpages.com/hub/What-Our-Pointer-Pups-Did-Next

Your blog looks great and I wish I had more time to sit and read it. The recipes look like winners. I'm going to try some of them. Chestnuts and funghi everywhere.

Do get in touch if you can get down here. The gite is finished now. Only have to install stove.

[Florian]

Hi there !

Nice blog :)
France is really a good place for food isn't it ?
I'm french, and I do appreciate.... i mean french cuisine !
By the way, and because i'm from Lyon, the city of lights isn't Paris, even if they tell everyone... but it's Lyon since 22 centuries, and still prove it every december 8th :p

Farewell !

http://frenchyscuisine.com

[Laura]

Hi Florian, thanks very much!
And I know, I know, but that's what they say...I actually stayed with a family in Lyon when I first came to France though - it was the first to truly capture my heart!

[Florian]

:)
just kidding, I'm just a Lyon's fan !