Picture Perfect

Photograph by Kara Turcotte

Sweet: These honey bees were caught clinging to the hive by Chinook Honey Company employee Kara Turcotte in Black Diamond, AB.  “They were doing honey extraction in August and I took a few shots of the bees,” Turcotte says. “The bee-keepers smoke the bees out and bring the hives in from the field. They are very docile; I had no problem going up to the hive.”

Turcotte has been working at Chinook Honey Company for three years. She’s taken courses in the medicinal properties of honey. “Royal jelly is something the bees only make for the queen bee, or to give to the larvae,” she says. “I’ve learned it’s good for hydrating the skin, and can be a good immune booster.” What she finds most interesting, is that a single bee only makes half a teaspoon honey in its life. “But some of these hives weigh 50 pounds.”

Send us your best photo and win $300! 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 jwindsor@venturepublishing.ca or mail them to Jennifer Windsor, Venture Publishing, 10259-105 Street, Edmonton, AB, T5J 1E3. For full contest details, visit www.growingalberta.com.