Picture perfect

Fruits of His Labour

Jason Scott took this winning photograph of 77-year-old Raffaele “Frank” Talarico tending his vegetable garden in Edmonton’s Eastwood neighbourhood in early September. Talarico has been growing tomatoes since he immigrated to Canada from Italy in the early 1950s. He also grows and nurtures zucchinis, beans, peas and other vegetables, but tomatoes remain his specialty – so much so that over the years he has developed his own hybrid variety that he plants from seed.

“I did the shoot on a beautiful late summer evening as the sun was setting. It was wonderful to watch him wander through his garden surrounded by the fruit of his labour,” says Scott. Talarico’s harvest is used in his family’s salads and homemade tomato sauces and he gives seedlings to neighbours so they can grow their own produce. It’s agriculture on a small scale that translates into the same kind of fresh, homegrown flavours seen in regional cuisine restaurants and farmers’ markets.

Send us your best photo and win $750!

We are looking for photos that capture the spirit of Alberta’s agriculture and food industry – from fields of wheat and farmers’ markets to food preparation and fine dining. Photographs will be judged based on technical quality, creativity, composition and overall impact; one winning entry will be selected per issue.

E-mail your entries or questions to tpowell-surtees@albertaventure.com or mail them to Tamara Powell-Surtees, Venture Publishing, 201-10350 124 Street, Edmonton, AB, T5N 3V9. For full contest details, visit www.growingalberta.com.