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.