Located on Apple Hill near the historic town of Placerfille in the Sierra Foothills, our one-acre family ranch is a truly special place in the world. There are over 200 fruit trees that include various heirloom apples, figs, pears, and persimmons. We also have almost 100 blueberry bushes and a kiwi vine that stretches over 50 feet. The entire harvest is either sold fresh exclusively at Bi-Rite or handmade into preserves by Mariette "Mom" Mogannam. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to shop at Bi-Rite when the fruits are available knows how much care Mom and Dad put into their mini farm.

For years, Ned and Mariette Mogannam drove from their home in San Francisco to their vacation home in Tahoe, hoping to find a bit of tranquility. "We would buy these fabulous apples from a grower at the farmers market in Tahoe," Mariette remembers. On a sign above the apples they noticed that they were from Apple Hill. On the way home that weekend, they stopped for gas in Placerville and asked where Apple Hill was. The clerk told them that it was easy to find-that they should just follow the signs.

As they drove down Carson Road, they came upon a ranch called Apple Creek Ranch. Ned and Mariette told Evelyn Strunk, the owner, what a beautiful place the area was and that someday they would love to own a ranch like hers. She laughed and said, "This one's for sale. Would you like me to show you around?" Mariette laughs at the memory now: "What a saleswoman she was. We went in to buy a box of apples and bought the ranch!" Neither she nor her husband had any experience farming. "Other than helping my mother with her vegetable garden when I was a girl, I hadn't really grown anything!"

The ranch changed hands in the fall of 2002 and the Mogannams have loved every minute of owning a little piece of Apple Hill. Besides a wide variety of apples, including heirlooms like Arkansas Black and Winesap, the ranch has amazing blueberries in season, as well as figs, pears, pomegranates and persimmons. On their initial visit, Evelyn said, "We have kiwis too. Do you want to see the cathedral?" The kiwi vine is an amazing tangle trained up and horizontally about 50 feet. Being underneath is peaceful and serene, the perfect to spot to relax and read a book.

Mogannam Family Ranch is located at 2979 Carson Road in Placerville, CA.