Producer

I've dabbled in backyard animal husbandry with a wide variety of chickens, ducks, and rabbits since 2015.  While all of those animals were fun, quail have become my niche.  I have a small building that once housed our rabbits and converted it into two aviaries.  I built a cabinet incubator last year, and can now incubate 150+ of my own eggs at a time. I've been actively working toward a healthy, genetically strong, mild temperament in my birds that are also easily handled (with the exception of Babs, my blind, albino quail).  I have many colors and sizes of Coturnix, and typically hatch at least two batches per year.  

I previously operated under Jen’s Apiary & Aviary but decided that I wanted to do even more. The end of 2023, I was gifted a second chance at life after over a year of invasive cancer treatments. My body came out of it very weak and depleted, and I vowed that I would do everything in my power to not only get my body better than it was before treatment, but also find ways to nourish it naturally that didn’t take a ton of prep work. Freeze drying takes only the free water out of the food while preserving the beneficial compounds (like phytochemicals in fruits and veggies), nutrients, color, flavor and structure in an ultra dense, lightweight package. It is also the most effective drying method for retaining antioxidants. The best part is that all prep work is done prior to freeze drying and the products have incredibly long shelf life, so you can eat the food as is or re-hydrate and go. Freeze dried goods are optimal for backpacking trips or long hikes because you don’t carry the water weight with you, just the fresh goodness.

I try to eat organic as much as possible with no pesticides, and I raise my animals the same way.  While I have not received any certifications yet, I hope to work toward a Certified Naturally Grown or Alaska Grown.

I don’t want to just sustainably raise quail in Juneau, but to educate anyone who is interested. I've thoroughly enjoyed teaching Coturnix facts at the local schools. I bring in eggs for them to hatch, discussed egg development and candled the eggs, and adults quail to talk everything quail. 

I love getting out in nature and harvesting local goods, and I am excited to get out to collect, not only for my own family, but also to share some of the bounty of the Tongass with our community. With the freeze dryer, I do not have an approved commercial kitchen, but I've I have worked in commercial kitchens since 1998, and my uncle was a health inspector for the State of Wisconsin. I know all of the in’s and outs to safe food prep and what all goes into a sanitary work environment. All surfaces used for food prep (whether for human or pet consumption) are cleared and thoroughly sanitized prior to even getting the food out. The freeze dryer is cleaned and sanitized after every use to prevent contamination in the next batch and allergens from previous batches. I wash my hands and use gloves while handling any food, during the prep, weighing, and packaging. While my kitchen isn’t officially approved, I can assure you that I take every step to ensure safe food handling so you get all the good and nothing bad.