Wood Fired Oven, Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast

Gayle and I took a trip to San Franciso and did a lot of poking around kitchen stores. We came back with four more cookbooks including several on wood fired grilling and wood fired ovens. We're looking to expand the cuisine baked in the wood fired oven at Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast near Placerville.

We stoked wood in the oven for about seven hours raising the temperature to about 700 degrees. The remaining coals were gathered into a pile and Gayle placed a whole Kabocha squash right in the coals. Meanwhile, slices of Delicata squash coated with olive oil were sizzling on a cast iron skillet placed in the oven. She picked some mustard greens out of the garden and tossed them on top. Once the Kabocha squash reached 150 degrees internally it was pulled out of the coals and split in half horizontally. The seeds were scooped out and the Delicata squash, mustard greens and some goat cheese were put in the cavity and the meat of the squash was pulled away from the sides. The top was drizzled with a mint-infused red wine vinaigrette. The verdict? Fabulous!

Buffalo Ducks, Eden Vale Inn Placerville

It's a crispy cold quiet morning this Christmas Day at Eden Vale Inn near Placerville. Yes, we are below the snow! We're running a winter special discount if you call. Today two Buffalo Ducks are working the pond fishing for whatever it is that the eat. They are beautiful. Their coats are black and white. They are a cute pair, diving together and bobbing back up. Mark

Sunset at Eden Vale Inn 12/19/2009

Yesterday a particularly beautiful sunset appeared at Eden Vale Inn near Placerville, CA.  We're above the Sacramento Valley fog and below the Lake Tahoe snow.  The pond mirrored the sky.  Mark

Wine Tasting Sierra Foothills, Crystal Basin Cellars

If you like big Sierra Reds you'll like Crystal Basin Cellars in Camino just off Hwy 50 east of Placerville.   The drive from Eden Vale Inn, on the other side of Placerville, is about 25 minutes.   Many other Carson Road Wineries and Vinyards are nearby.  Mike Owen and Peter, the wine maker, make a wide variety of wines owning in part to the fact that they buy their grapes from other local Sierra Foothill vinyards.  This allows more flexibility in trying new varities and blends. 

There is lots to like in the extensive selection at this El Dorado County winery.  I came home with a mixed case that included Viognier, Zinfandel, Sarah, Barbara, and Mouvedre.   They also make a five varietal Bordeaux Blend named Triumphant.  Their Triumphant Blending party is coming up February 13th at the Cameron Park Country club.  Crystal Basin Cellars

Wine Eden Vale Inn Placerville

Lava Cap Winery in the Sierra Foothills Wine Region near Placerville, CA has a big sale on their 2005.  Cases are 50% Off on their 2005 wines until sold.  If I remember right these were available: Malbec, Grenach, Zinfandel, Syhra and a few others.  I took home a case of Zinfandel.  Mark

Snow Eden Vale Inn Placerville, CA Sierra Foothills low snow

A freak snowstorm December 6 and 7, 2009 brought snow all the way down to Sacramento, CA.  Placerville got about 18" at their 1800' elevation.  Eden Vale Inn at 1100' got about 6".  The snow was wet and heavy and broke tree limbs all over these low eleveations.  The limbs fell on the power and phone lines causing many El Dorado County residents to be without power for up to four days.  Many, over a week later are still without phone service.  Then the weather turned very cold and kept the frozen snow for five days until it rained and washed it all way.  There were broken water pipes all over the Sierra Foothills in California.  In 25 years here we've never seen anything like this.  Mark

Winter retreat at Eden Vale Inn, B&B

As the weather turns cold today in the Sierra Foothills, the fireplace is blazing here at Eden Vale Inn B&B, Placerville.  Our guests are warm & cozy as they enjoy our signature breakfast of Spinach/Feta Quiche, Roasted Red Rosemary Potatoes and Orange Pecan Scones.  Everything is made fresh daily at Eden Vale Inn Bed & Breakfast.  Plan your next getaway-call us to get the Winter Discount and find a little bit of heaven in Placerville.  Come discover Eden Vale Inn. 

Great Blue Heron, Birdwatching Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast Placerville

A Great Blue Heron was fishing in the pond today at Eden Vale Inn B&B near Placerville in the Sierra Foothills.  Fall is still to be found as many of the native oaks have not yet dropped their leaves.   I went hiking today at Wildman near Chile Bar on the South Fork of the American River maybe 7 miles above Coloma.  This December 5th was a beautiful day, cool even cold but the sun was out.  A great day to scarmble down the mountain through the Blue Oaks to the American River in the Sierra Foothills winter.  And, free of snow.
Mark

Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast Placerville Garden Tomatoes in December

For breakfast at Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast near Placerville, we cook with fresh whole foods as much as possible.  How can you beat adding a few First Prize Sun Gold tomatoes from your own garden in December?   This morning we served them with the Eggs and roasted Potatoes.  Yes, peppers are still in the garden too!  Temperatures are moderate in the Sierra Nevada Foothills near Placerville and Coloma most of November, December and January.  No snow and above the Tule fog.  The tomatoes do come out of our Eden Vale Inn B&B greenhouse which protects them from the frost.  Mark

Breakfast Nov 27, 2009, Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast, Placerville

Our guests at Eden Vale Inn B&B in Placerville enjoying the Bacon & Cheddar Stratta along with Roasted Potatoes, Cranberry Pecan Coffee Cake & Stollen, (Danish Pastry with Cream Cheese filling).  As always, we also offer fresh seasonal fruit, natural yogurt and our own homemade Eden Vale Granola.  The weather today in the Sierra Foothills is stunning, with sunny blue skies and beautiful fall color all around.  A perfect setting for a relaxing stroll around the 10 acre garden estate called Eden Vale Inn.

Eden Vale Inn Placerville, Bicycling

You meet the most interesting people while running the Eden Vale Inn B&B near Coloma, CA.
One of our guests this Thanksgiving weekend is interesting enough with a career in film and television but added to this his son is riding his bicycle from the Arctic Circle to the southern tip of South America ending at Tierra del Fuego.  This is the adventure to beat all adventures.  The father contributed to this adventure by taking his son, as a young boy, backpacking in the high country of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.  The son will be completing his journey in the near future.  Take a look at the fabulous photos and great adventure on http://www.ridingthespine.com/ .
Mark

Thanksgiving 2009, Eden Vale Inn Placerville

Today was a beautiful day in the Sierra Foothills of El Dorado County.  At Eden Vale Inn near Placerville we cooked our turkey and vegetables in the wood fired oven.   While the turkey was baking we sat out by the pond in the warm sun and drank some Primitivo wine from Iverson's Vineyard and Winery in Fairplay http://www.iversonwinery.com/. 

Mark's brother in law Jeff had brined the turkey for about 36 hours using a Williams and Sonoma mix.  They plan to make their own brine next year.  The brine makes the turkey moist.

Mark built a fire in the oven last night and rebuilt it this morning.  Temperature was over 900 degrees after sweeping the fire and ash out.   We had cooked several turkey's previously at around 550 degrees with good success.  First we seared in the juices, 900 degrees did this in a few minutes.  To mitigate the high temperature we placed the turkey near the front of the oven and spun him around 180 degrees every 20 minutes or so.  The turkey came out great as well as the vegetables and curry bread.  Our family really enjoyed the day.  This turkey was not for our full house of guests.  They were all off at their respective family gatherings.

Gayle and Jeff, left, ready at the oven, bird right after 5 minutes of browning.  Then we covered it with foil.

Bouquet Nov 24th Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast Placerville

At Eden  Vale Inn near Placerville, Gayle loves to put fresh garden pick bouquets on the entry table.  Here is a photo of today's contribution reflecting fall in the Sierra Foothills near Coloma.   Mark

Eden Vale Inn B&B Breakfast

Our guests at Eden Vale Inn B&B, Placerville CA, were treated today to Spinach & Feta Cheese Quiche garnished with organic Sungold tomatoes fresh from Eden Vale Garden and Roasted Red Potatoes with Fresh Rosemary, again from Eden Vale Garden.  Our signature Orange/Currant Scones topped with Crushed Pecans have the juice and zest of El Dorado County Mandarins sold at Graham's Pear Shed on your way to Coloma.  The fall weather in the Sierra Foothills is crisp and magnificent as the clouds part and the sun peeks through. Many of our guests take the short drive to Apple Hill now to enjoy the scenery, wonderul baked goods and of course apples!  Foothill wineries are welcoming and have something for everyone.  Call Eden Vale Inn B&B today for special discount rates during the Holidays.

David Girard Winery Fall Art and Wine Fest, Eden Vale Inn B&B, Placerville

Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast, Placerville, CA  is fortunate to have several wineries nearby.  The closest is David Girard Vineyards http://www.davidgirardvineyards.com/.   Today was a fine fall day in the Sierra Foothills.  Lighting seemed perfect for pictures of the Girard Vineyards, gardens and views looking toward Coloma on the American River.  I came away with a couple bottles of their 2007 Rose'.  The 2008 had just been released but was not quite aged yet.  The 2007 is perfect, citrus with the sweetness cut with just a slight tannic bitter. 

Decks: Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast Placerville

The north side of Eden Vale Inn B&B is decked and trellised with Incense Cedar.  The cedar was cut from the Sierra Nevada forests and milled at Kubich Lumber in Grass Valley, CA.   Kubich is sort of a time warp.  They have and old fashioned buzz saw.  We like the rough sawn saw marks.  It fits the rustic character of the Old West still  visible in El Dorado County. 

More Pictures -- Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast, Placerville

More Pictures from the Perfect Weekend - Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast, Placerville.  See the original on Perfect Weekend - Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast, Placerville, California

Perfect Weekend - Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast, Placerville

A couple came from the San Francisco Bay Area last weekend to tour the El Dorado Wine country including Fair Play for the first time.  They had been to the Amador Wine County many times.  There favorites in Fair Play on the Saturday round were: Iverson Vineyards and Winery, Oakstone Winery, and Cedarville Vineyard.   They took some fabulous photos a few of which appear here.  More can be seen on Trip Advisor: Perfect Weekend - Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast, Placerville

"My wife and I are always looking for interesting getaways to the more remote wine regions of California. This was our first venture to El Dorado wine country. It was a great weekend in large part due to the amazing experience of the Eden Vale Inn. I can't say enough about this place. Hard to believe it used to be a barn! Mark and Gail really have a talent and passion - the architectural design, the exquisite furnishings, the garden and grounds, the attention to detail everywhere, the helpful advice, the wonderful breakfast. Everything about this place is focused on making sure guests have a wonderful, memorable experience. We did. And we can’t wait to return."  Steveone03

Fall Magic at Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast

The light, and color of the turning leaves, make magic at Eden Vale Inn B&B. A similar picture of this swing in our back yard near Placerville, CA was posted a few days ago. This magic is even better. I'm planning to get out and photograph some to the local Sierra Foothill Vineyards while the color is still happening. Tomorrow I plan to visit wineries in Fair Play, southern El Dorado County and nearby Amador County. Stay tuned for an update. Mark

Eden Vale Inn Placerville,Cotinus, Smoke Bush

From Eden Vale Inn, the ladies say this is one of the best fall's. Well I don't know, I've seen a lot of good fall color in these Sierra Foothills. Nevertheless, the Cotinus Smoke Bush at Eden Vale Inn does seem to be the best ever. Spectacular are the red, orange and yellow varietals of Bray Vineyards located in Shenandoah Valley, Amador County, California. Check it out at www.brayvineyards.com , not to mention the rest of the Sierra Foothill Wineries. Mark

Wonderful Fall Morning

Today's breakfast at Eden Vale Inn Bed & Breakfast in Placerville. Kirsten the Innkeeper served Gingerbread Waffles with Carmelized Apples, Whipped Cream and Maple Syrup. Also offered, Shirred Eggs with Ham, Cream and Cheese. The weather in El Dorado County today is sunny, crisp and lovely.

Outrageous Fall Color in Placerville

People call in October and ask "are the leaves turing yet in Coloma?" Or maybe they ask "is there color in the hills around Placerville?" My answer would always be yes but, November in the Sierra Foothills is best. Check out this outrageous scene at Eden Vale Inn yesterday. Mark

Fall Around Placerville

In the Sierra Foothills fall is at its prime the first few weeks of November. The El Dorado County and Amador County Vinyards are fields of colors. Everywhere you go color is found. Here at Eden Vale Inn near Placerville we have planted many shrubs, vines and trees that are particularly colorful. Pictures are worth a 1000 words.

Breakfast at Eden Vale Inn

Kirsten made Ricotta Souffle Pancakes topped with Fresh Raspberry Sauce. The guests loved them,so light and delicious! The Souffle Pancakes were served them with Maple Sausage and Fluffy Scrambled Eggs. We always tailor our menu to fit our guests needs and use only the finest, fresh local produce available in El Dorado County. No one walks aways from Eden Vale Inn hungry!

Eden Vale Inn Commitment

At Eden Vale Inn in Placerville, CA we are committed to continual improvement of facilites and service. We thank our guests for their continual feedback and helping us improve while they relax and enjoy.

Fall Color

Fall is definately in the air around Placerville and Apple Hill. November always brings the best color in the surrounding Sierra Foothill Vinyards. Eden Vale Inn Bed and Breakfast is surrounded by gardens and the color here is a grand display. Here are a few pictures snapped in this morning's crisp air.

First Proposal

A beautiful warm full moon night aroused an inspiration. He rowed her out on the Big Dipper pond and proposed! She said yes. The next morning they announced the event and all the ladies cheered. A few days later the mother-in-law to be called to say how wonderful it all was. She had made the reservation too!

Dock for the Pond

We've needed a dock for our small

1/3 acre pond for some time. We wanted something small and low profile that would also last a long time. Mostly the dock is for swimming and viewing. But, you can also tie a boat up to it.

Our design was to use 2" diameter threaded galvanized pipe for the frame. The we laid incense cedar deck right over the frame. It just lays into place and is not fastened so we can easily lift it off for maintenance.

When the water was drawn down four feet for maintenance last winter, it was an opportunity to pour some concrete footings and embed the pipe in the concrete. Then I went to the local plumbing store where they thread pipe to custom sizes. Several trips were required as I would build a stage and, then measure up the next stage. The pipes show in the pictures. The vertical pipe sticking up is so you have something to grab getting out of the water. Not shown is that he pipes under water that make a ladder for entering and exiting the pond.

The wood was incense cedar. We have a lot of it available here in the Sierra Nevada. It has excellent resistance to rot, better than coast redwood according to those that know. There are some old incense cedar fence posts here that had been in the ground maybe as long as 80 years. They had no rot in them. The bugs don't like it. We finish all our cedar with Superdeck. It's about 60% linseed oil looks great and weathers well.

You can't find incense cedar in the lumber stores. If you want to use that wood you have to find a band saw miller or you can take a trip to Kubich Lumber in Grass Valley, CA. They have a boutique business in incense cedar. They mill it on a big old buzz saw so you get the saw marks in the lumber, great if you like the rustic look.

The picture in the upper right is one of the dock panels flipped upside down so you can see how it's built. Each of three panels just lay on the pipe; you don't need to fasten it making it easily removable. The side rails hold it together and keep it from slipping side to side. You can also see the land footing with the 2" pipe set right in it. The only fasteners were some 3 1/2 coated screws for decks I got at Home Depot.

Summer Garden

Summer Garden -
Grasses and Sunflowers!

Spring Garden

Spring Garden - Roses and Wisteria

Big Dipper Pond

Big Dipper Pond

Evenings, soak in your private two-person outdoor tub, enjoy the intimacy of your room or gather around the fire pit overlooking “Big Dipper Pond.” Whether swimming, floating or just resting beside still waters, the pond is a source of renewal and reflection. The clear waters support a lively population of rainbow trout. A lush wildflower garden and walking path surrounds the pond.

Our Commitment

Mark and Gayle’s mission is to provide rejuvenation and replenishment to their guests. Over the years, they have shared their enthusiasm for good food and enjoyment of an active lifestyle with friends from far and near. In developing Eden Vale, Mark and Gayle have taken great care to ensure guests will be refreshed and inspired by their experience, whether seeking romance or a spiritual grounding.

History

The Inn

The heart of Eden Vale is the main house. Once a classic California hay barn built in 1918 it has been restored and converted into a magnificent home. Much of the original timber frame construction (old growth incense cedar and sugar pine) has been preserved. The rough hewn timbers and dominating slate fireplace of the great room evoke a mountain lodge. Just minutes from the South Fork of the American River, the Inn is part of a historic homestead established in the late 1880’s. It sits nestled in a valley surrounded by the lovely signature foothills of the Gold Country. The spirit of the far west lingers in the nearby Emigrant Trail and you’ll follow the old Pony Express route as you approach Eden Vale.