Producer
Emerald Glen Homestead
Contact: Robert and Andrea Kew
Address: 245 Emerald Glen Road Alturas, CA, 96101
Phone: 417-388-5226
About Us
Hello, We are Bob and Andrea Kew of Emerald Glen Homestead. We raise multiple breeds of chickens for their beautifully colored eggs in Alturas, CA. Our girls and their protector roosters are pastured on 40 acres where they eat a natural diet of foraged plants, seeds, and insects. They sleep in a very spacious 200 square foot chicken coop with natural juniper branches to roost on. Every morning their diet is also supplemented with layer feed, scratch and mealworms. They love eating pumpkins in the fall and watermelon in the summer. They help reduce our kitchen waste by eating all of our vegetables scraps. On super hot days they also get homemade veggie popsicles. We believe happy chickens lay delicious eggs!
Practices
Humanely raised chickens: At Emerald Glen Homestead, animals are very near and dear to our hearts. We believe that if we are going to consume animal products, we need to make the life for the animal a happy one. We try to make a life as natural as possible for our animals and give them what they need. Our chickens have multiple toys and a varied landscape for enrichment. As soon as the sun rises, they have unlimited access to fresh grass, sunshine, water, and insects. They are protected at night by an extremely spacious, predator proof coop. We also incubate new chickens at home and give them directly to a broody hen to raise. We have found this is best for both the broody hens and the baby chicks. Some of our girls just love being a momma and I don’t have the heart to deny them.
Hugelkultur: Emerald Glen Homestead is always looking to expand. We are learning how to grow in a greenhouse this year. We have taken to hugelkultur practices. Our garden beds are full of downed cottonwood from our property, chicken manure from our chickens, goat manure from our goats, and dirt and other plant material from our property. We believe this methods create a living medium full of good microbes, insects, worms, and mushrooms that our plants can feed on. We look forward to growing and sharing our abundance with our community.
Non-GMO: We only plant Non GMO seed on our property. From clover, grass, fruit trees, herbs, and vegetables, everything is non GMO.
Pesticides and Herbicides: We only use organic practices at Emerald Glen Homestead. We hand pick weeds and find sustainable ways to fight aphids and other problematic insects that are still conducive to the ecosystem.
Permaculture: We strive for closed loop systems and no waste methods. Our animals provide manure for our garden. Waste from the garden goes to the animals. Food waste from our home gets divided into dog treats, chicken treats, or compost pile. Downed trees are used for hugelkultur. Ventilation fans in the coop use solar power. Companion planting allows different vegetables that need different nutrients to co exist in the same garden bed. We rotate crops in our garden beds in order to not deplete the soil. We planted clover as a cover crop on our property to prevent erosion, cut down on thistle growth, and be pollinators for the bees. We are constantly learning and growing in this area and loving every minute!
Thank you so much for supporting Emerald Glen Homestead! We strive to create nutritious products that you can feel good about eating! We are open to any questions, comments, or concerns and look forward to hearing from you all.
Hugelkultur: Emerald Glen Homestead is always looking to expand. We are learning how to grow in a greenhouse this year. We have taken to hugelkultur practices. Our garden beds are full of downed cottonwood from our property, chicken manure from our chickens, goat manure from our goats, and dirt and other plant material from our property. We believe this methods create a living medium full of good microbes, insects, worms, and mushrooms that our plants can feed on. We look forward to growing and sharing our abundance with our community.
Non-GMO: We only plant Non GMO seed on our property. From clover, grass, fruit trees, herbs, and vegetables, everything is non GMO.
Pesticides and Herbicides: We only use organic practices at Emerald Glen Homestead. We hand pick weeds and find sustainable ways to fight aphids and other problematic insects that are still conducive to the ecosystem.
Permaculture: We strive for closed loop systems and no waste methods. Our animals provide manure for our garden. Waste from the garden goes to the animals. Food waste from our home gets divided into dog treats, chicken treats, or compost pile. Downed trees are used for hugelkultur. Ventilation fans in the coop use solar power. Companion planting allows different vegetables that need different nutrients to co exist in the same garden bed. We rotate crops in our garden beds in order to not deplete the soil. We planted clover as a cover crop on our property to prevent erosion, cut down on thistle growth, and be pollinators for the bees. We are constantly learning and growing in this area and loving every minute!
Thank you so much for supporting Emerald Glen Homestead! We strive to create nutritious products that you can feel good about eating! We are open to any questions, comments, or concerns and look forward to hearing from you all.