The Fruit of the Vanilla Orchid
Vanilla flavoring, from the pod of the vanilla orchid, has only been known to old-world kitchens for about 400 years. However, how long Central Americans have been using this time of flavor is unknown.
If you have ever accidentally omitted the vanilla from any baking recipe, you know the flat taste without it. Europeans, however, were the first to get addicted to the magical combination of vanilla with another new-world ingredient, sugar.
Just as you carefully pour just one spoonful of vanilla into your cooking, vanilla orchid farmers carefully nurture, fertilize, and harvest this invaluable spice.
Where is it From?
The vanilla orchid generally refers to a specific species named Vanilla planifolia, which produces the pods used to make commercial vanilla extract. There are a few other species in the vanilla orchid family; most are never used in industry.
When we think of orchids, we may think of upright flowers with a few leaves. However, the vanilla orchid is actually a vine. It snakes up the trunk of a tree and makes it look like the tree trunk itself is sprouting leaves.
Commercial vanilla farms are found in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Java, though the worlds biggest producer is the island republic of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa. Cultivation methods vary as some farmers set the vines to grow on trees because it is a good way to get an additional crop out of an orchard. Other farmers may set up frames or stakes to support the vine.
In either case, the vine should not be allowed to grow too high because vanilla orchid blooms must be hand-fertilized to produce fruit. Because vanilla is an imported plant, there are not always insects around that are adapted to pollinate it.
The vanilla orchid vine will produce a vanilla pod when the flower withers, but the vanilla bean is not ready to be harvested until it has cured on the vine an additional six to nine months. As the pods ripen, they produce a strong vanilla smell. After the harvest, the six to eight inch long pods must then be cured before they are ready for the final step: becoming vanilla extract.
The final step is basically to chop up or mash the pods and let them soak in alcohol from a few days to a few weeks. The manufacturer then filters the liquid, which has become a nice rich brown, bottles it, and sells it. You can do the same process at home. Place two long vanilla bean pods (available at specialty grocery stores) into a bottle of vodka, close it back up, and put it in a dark place for a few months. Then voila, vanilla!
One unique type of orchid is the cattleya orchid.
Empress Orchid
Come wedding season and the orchids come in full demand.
Remember to oversee if the medium is fresh. The answer lies in the beautiful bloom that stems from the leaves of the plant. On the other hand, overexposure to light or high temperatures can result in permanent damage to the plant, the condition termed sunburn.
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