By STEVE BINDER Illinois Correspondent CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The buzz around this central Illinois city lately has everything to do with beekeeper Rachel Coventry, who learned recently that judges for the prestigious Center for Honeybee Research said she produced the best honey on the planet. Not just in Illinois, not just in the Midwest and not just the United States: The center’s Black Jar Honey Contest trophy for the best honey in the world now has Rachel Coventry’s name on it. And she got to pocket a sweet $2,000 for her honor, as well as bragging rights for the operation where she works, Curtis Orchard and Pumpkin Patch in Champaign. “I couldn’t believe it,” Coventry said. “I knew we had good honey. And I didn’t know especially judges would agree with that. I’m very excited about the award.” The 30-year-old Coventry learned beekeeping and honey collection primarily while in Paraguay as a Peace Corps crop extensionist in 2009. These days, the farm her grandfather, Paul Curtis, turned into a tourist destination has everything from awardwinning apple cider, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, a petting zoo, facepainting, wagon rides, a giant slide and now, the world’s best honey. The farm opens for its 38th season on July 20. Coventry, who also manages the farm’s general store, said honey from the farm’s apiary benefits from the unique mix of pollen available to its bees, nectar sources from the farm’s apple trees, pumpkin plants, wildflowers, strawberries, clover, cherries and peaches. “Our honeybees stay close to the hive whenever possible, but may fly up to three miles if food sources become scarce, so having all of these pollen sources available to our bees makes for a rich and complex-tasting honey found nowhere else,” Coventry explained. She beat out hundreds of entries from across the United States and other countries, including Spain, Turkey, Italy, Kenya and Israel. The contest is based solely on taste on texture. It was the second time Coventry entered the farm’s honey; last year her product was selected as a regional best among nine states. |
