Beanstalk Honey started in 2010 on the shore of North Cooking Lake in Strathcona County. I can’t believe it’s been so long! For the first couple of years, I grew organic vegetables and kept laying hens. But when I started keeping bees as well, everyone wanted the honey. My first year I sold out of honey by the middle of September. Over a period of two years, I transitioned to only honey. From 2011 to 2021, I sold honey at either the Old Strathcona Market or the Downtown Farmer’s Market in Edmonton on Saturdays. Due to the pandemic and other events, I stopped selling honey and began researching honey bee health issues at the University of Alberta in a PhD program.

A word about the name- it comes from Jack and the Beanstalk. I believe in individuals growing food for their community members, rather than corporations producing our food. In some metaphorical interpretations of Jack and the Beanstalk, the giant in the sky represents corporations, and Jack climbs up there and takes the means for food production back, re-locating them in his community. So that’s where Beanstalk Honey draws it’s name. Admittedly, it made more sense when I grew vegetables!

And back to the business… Honey at the market stall came from my own bees in Strathcona County and from other beekeepers I know in the area. This allowed me to offer wonderful monofloral honeys and some great polyfloral honeys. I love showing off the diversity of honey flavours we get from our Alberta flowers. I also sold honeys flavoured with certified organic spices. In 2024, I will resume some limited honey sales while focusing on other aspects of my farming business, with more information to come soon. In the meantime, I’ll be offering beekeeping workshops.