Healthy Living in El Dorado County, CA

Bamiyan is an Afghan restaurant with a focus on authentic home-style cuisine with a healthy twist.

They have tons of vegan and vegetarian options on the menu, anyone can feel right at home here. In fact, many dishes they offer aren’t normally vegan but can be made to accommodate your dietary restrictions and choices.

From traditional yellow lentil soup to scallion and spinach dumplings to classic beef kebabs, the menu offers a delicious taste of central Asian home cooking.

Take a left at the light, then another left , and we’ll head down Town Center Boulevard.

On your right is Sellands, a local chain with three locations in the greater Sacramento Area. Sellands is styled as a fresh market and cafe, and it’s an upscale order-at-the-counter restaurant serving lunch, dinner, and desserts from their in-store bakery for dine-in or carryout, or catering, by the way! I’ve had holiday meals catered by Sellands, and it’s spectacular.

From wood-fired pizzas to entrees like mushroom chicken breast or salmon filets, Selland’s doesn’t disappoint. They even host special events, like Spaghetti Sundays, which are the perfect family outings.

Further down the street, this time on the left, you’ll pass Milestone, a stylish cocktail bar and restaurant. Founded on the principle that the hospitality industry should live up to that name, Milestone seeks to be a warm, welcoming place for its guests and a lively, caring community for its employees. They’ve been voted the region’s best brunch, best happy hour, and best service in local awards.

As a cocktail bar, their drink menu is their pride and joy. So, when you’re not driving, stop in for a Beach Bonfire, made with Milagro Tequila, Aperol, and hot habanero peppers, or check out the Pink Panther, rose gin with delicate rose petals.

As for food, Milestone’s menu is globally inspired, with offerings like elotes, risotto, and bourbon mac and cheese. They have a seasonally rotating entree and vegetarian menu, with fresh new menu items available every few months.

Let’s move on to our next stop, located on Bass Lake Road. Take a right then another right to hop on the freeway to the next exit. On our way there, I’ll tell you a little bit about El Dorado Hills.

As you can probably tell from driving through El Dorado Hills, it gets part of its name from its picturesque rolling landscape. A collection of unincorporated communities on the western edge of the County, this area is largely made up of suburban developments, many of which surround golf courses and country clubs.

Remember to take the exit for Bass Lake Road, and turn left to head north.

Next up is a shopping center which is home to Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade, a juice and superfood bar that doesn’t miss. A west coast chain, Wow Wow makes fresh pressed juices and bowls that keep you fueled up and ready to take on the day.

The tropical-inspired lemonades come in 16 flavors, with additional specials every season. Unique flavors include their watermelon basil lemonade, lavender blackberry lemonade, and pressed coconut lemonades in flavors like “lava flow” and “mango colada”. The best part? Everything’s made with real, freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juices and purees.

Their superfood bowls are just as popular as their drinks, from the classic acai bowl to wildly colorful blends featuring blue spirulina and dragon fruit!

We’re going to head back to Route 50 now and keep on going into Placerville. Along the way, we’ll pass through the towns of Cameron Park and Shingle Springs, both of which began as mining camps during the Gold Rush.

As you might have guessed, El Dorado County is named for the abundance of gold found here in the mid-19th century. The entire county slopes gradually upward to the Nevada state line at Lake Tahoe. This section of the mountain range is sometimes referred to as the Mother Lode for its wealth of mineral deposits.

The south fork of the American River, which flows from Lake Tahoe to Folsom Lake, roughly follows the section of Route 50 between Tahoe and Placerville, before turning north to Sutter’s Mill in the town of Coloma, where gold was discovered in the river at the mill in 1848. This began a wave of immigration to El Dorado County by prospectors from around the world. The Mill site now operates as a museum.

If you find yourself up that way, perhaps on the way home from our tour today, make sure you check out the Argonaut Farm to Fork Cafe. Though it was a little far out to include on this route, the Argonaut is another of my favorite places for quality, healthy eating.

They partner with the nearby Bee Love Farms; the Argonaut is located in a historic building on the Sutter’s Mill site, decorated with tables and counters made by local woodworkers, blacksmiths, and artisans. It’s truly a celebration of the creativity and sustainability of life in Northern California, so I highly recommend you check it out sometime!

In the meantime, let’s continue up the freeway to Placerville, the county seat and the beating heart of this beautiful mountain county.

As we head into Placerville, take a look to your left and you’ll see the Placerville Food Co-op, the only community-owned grocery store in the county. Placerville is located just on the edge of the area known as Apple Hill, which we’ll see in a moment, and that makes it easy for this store to source great fruit and produce locally.

The co-op opened its doors in 2011 and has grown to over 2,000 members in the decade since. If you’re unfamiliar with the idea of a co-op, it’s a way of keeping food prices low through community ownership and volunteerism

Placerville has had a few names over the course of the last two hundred years. It was originally known as “Dry Diggin’s”, after a method of gold mining that involved carrying cartloads of dry dirt from the surrounding hills to the creek, where the water can wash away everything but the gold hidden inside. The name was changed to “Hangtown” after an unfortunate incident where between some robbers and a town mob.

In 1854, the name was changed with the official incorporation of the city, with a nod to the original camp name, “placer mining” – that’s more of an official term for that old method that we called “dry diggin’”. The Spanish word “placer” means “sand or gravel deposit”, and inspired the name of Placer County, immediately north of here. By the way, if you’re interested in checking out Placer County, I’ve also got another tour my UCPlaces profile.

By now, Placerville Road has turned into Main Street as you enter the city’s downtown. You’re going to see some prime examples of late-19th and early 20th-century frontier architecture. I encourage you to come back here in the holiday-time because it’s absolutely beautiful. It has plenty of restaurants, pubs, and shops, and the town center provides all the entertainment needed for the 10,000 residents that call the surrounding neighborhoods home.

While Basecamp Nutrition is certainly popular among locals, its location right next to a Tesla Supercharger has made this young business an essential stopover on the journey to Lake Tahoe. Folks looking to fuel up their cars and bodies before a long day of skiing can grab a protein-rich shake in fun flavors like chunky monkey or pumpkin spice. There’s even a protein coffee, the perfect morning pick-me-up.

The strategic location right along the highway, where the closest food choices are sit-down restaurants and a McDonald’s, has kept this small business thriving, in spite of its founding in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. Being the healthiest option in the area really has its perks!

So, Placerville is a a stopover on the road from Sacramento to Tahoe and Carson City, and that’s been the driving force of Placerville’s economy for a long time. The railway line that Brought settlers and hopeful prospectors to the area spawned a booming hotel industry along its route, and due to the influx of gold and wealth in the county, Placerville became a center for banking and secure deposits.

Well, the railroad is long gone, but in its place is a 37-mile hiking and biking trail that runs all the way from Folsom to Camino, which is a little further east of here. There are plans to expand the trail along the old rail line all the way to Tahoe, providing the entire county with an accessible multi-use trail for exercise and healthy recreation.

As we move farther east, we’re going to get into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. This region supplies the county with its fresh organic produce, delicious apples, and seasonal fun. Keep following your navigation to Apple Hill.

The area due east and slightly north of Placerville is known as Apple Hill, with over 50 various orchards, vineyards, and farms that have joined together as the Apple Hill Growers’ Association, allowing them to jointly market their products and organize events across the area. I strongly encourage you to stop now, go to applehill.com, and download the map before we drive on further.

The Apple Hill Association represents apple orchards, bakeries, a bed and breakfast, and several wineries, including the Boeger Winery which should be just out the window to your left now. It’s set on a historic gold rush-era homestead, Boeger has been exploring unique blends since its opening in 1972. The tasting room is open year-round, but reservations are strongly recommended before you go.

A little farther down, also on the left, you’ll see Smokey Ridge Ranch. In addition to 17 varieties of apples, you can also pick your own chestnuts, pumpkins, olives, and figs! Like many of the orchards in Apple Hill, they also try their hand at winemaking. Their tastings are accompanied by charcuterie boards from their partners at The Grazing Grouse, which is a local caterer specializing in food pairings for wine.

After Passing Smokey Ridge, you’ll see the fire station on your right side, followed by a long stretch of pine trees. This fenced-in area is the Eddy Arboretum, a principal research station of the Institute of Forest Genetics. This division of the US Forest Service studies various trees in an effort to improve forest sustainability, combat climate change, and reduce the harm of wildfires and diseases that may threaten the forests of the western United States.

Although El Dorado County continues along Highway 50 all the way to Lake Tahoe, the next stop will be the last on today’s tour. Boa Vista is one of the oldest orchards in the region; it was founded in 1915. Boa Vista has refrained from joining the Apple Hill Association, choosing instead to operate as the only truly year-round market in the area. Boa Vista is open 363 days a year, selling seasonal produce, baked goods, wines, ciders, and more.

The BBQ Grill is a popular stop-over for travelers through the area, where you can pick up deli favorites, Polish dogs, and Brisket Sandwiches – maybe not as healthy, but delicious in any event!

All right! That’s just about everything I have to show you today. Continuing straight on Carson Road will take you back to Route 50, where you can turn west back toward Sacramento or keep heading uphill to Camino and follow the map that you found on applehill.com.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tour, and if you are interested in finding out any more about moving to the picturesque hills of Northern California, then give me a call at (916) 698-1015, or send me an email at ninajohnsonrealestate@gmail.com, where wellness comes home.