by Sue Ann ColvinVanilla beans begin life as a flower. The vanilla orchid grows as a vine under the jungle cover in the region of Vera Cruz, Mexico. Vanilla Planifolia sometimes referred to as Vanilla fragrans is the most common species for cultivation. (photo courtesy of The Mexican Vanilla Plantation)
The flower has a waxy appearance and blooms early in the morning, if not pollinated by the afternoon, it wilts and dies that day. If pollinated, vanilla is the only orchid that produces edible fruit. There are 150 different species of the vanilla plant, but only the species indigenous to the Americas are useful commercially.
Orchids in general don't self pollinate, their male and female sex organs are separated by a flap of plant tissue. To survive, orchids have had to develop their striking appearance, aromas, nectar and sticky fluids to attract pollinators. The vanilla flower emits a slight fragrance, almost undetectable to the human nose, but perceptible to birds and bees.The blooming period can last between six to eight weeks, this translates into an intensive twenty day period of hand pollination. The flowers must be pollinated the morning they bloom.
Each stem or racemes must be checked each day. Its not uncommon on a vanilla plantation to hand pollinate between 400 to 1000 flowers in one day.Once pollinated the ovary at the base of the flower swells.
(Photos courtesy of Brock Henderson)
The vanilla flower's main predator is the Chachalaca.
This bird gets its name from its loud call, similar to a Crow. The Chachalaca can quickly devour a days crops of flowers and must be guarded against.
It is not uncommon for adolescents to guard the flowers with rocks to scare away the bold Chachalaca.
Photo courtesy of Jessica Sweet
Six weeks after pollination, the beans have grown to their full length. The long green pod must stay on the vine for 6 to 9 months. As harvest approaches the beans must be watched carefully
as they are harvested just before they are completely ripe. At this point, they still don't have their characteristic scent or flavor.Our Vanilla comes from The Mexican Vanilla Plantation, a co-operative of farmers in the Totonacapan Region of Veracruz on the Gulf Coast of Mexico. The Totonaca people were the original growers of xanat, pronounced CHA-nat, which means flower in Totonac.
The Mexican Vanilla Plantation uses the original cultivation methods established by the Totonac people of this region including growing the non-commercial Vanilla pompona along with Vanilla planifolia to keep the viable planifolia plants healthy. No pesticides or chemicals are used in cultivation.
The Vanilla Plantation incorporates their traditional methods with science that revolutionizes
the drying process, enabling them to retain moisture and fragrance by using a controlled drying environment instead of the traditional air drying. This unique process marks the difference between the vanilla they produce and the vanilla produced by their ancestors.The pods are kept in a controlled temperature environment and cured by raising the temperature for one hour each day so as to not lose any moisture from the beans. This process takes 3-4 months.
(Photo of workers at The Mexican Vanilla Plantation curing beans) The Mexican Vanilla Plantation uses only organic vanilla beans and is currently working to obtain both organic and fair trade certification. We are thrilled to be a part of this co-operative that combines sound ecological principles with sustainable business practices.According to Patricia Rain, in her very informative book, Vanilla, The Cultural History of the World's favorite Flavor and Fragrance, the love of vanilla was thought to be spread world wide by the Addicted Ladies of New Spain.
The wealthy women of the Conquest became enamored of the Aztec drink and adapted the chocolate and vanilla beverage by serving it hot instead of the traditional room temperature.
These ladies also replaced the thick honey with cane sugar and they substituted cinnamon, anise seed and black pepper for chili peppers and Xochinacaztli (the sacred ear flower of the Aztecs).
Vanilla Appears in the United States
Ice cream making was all the rage among Philadelphia's elite in the late 1700's. Thomas Jefferson indulged in experimenting with flavors. He first tasted vanilla when he was in France. He purchased vanilla from friends in France. The dried pods then had to travel from Mexico to the Caribbean, to France and then back to the Americas to Jefferson. Jefferson's recipe used eggs and was based on the French custard with addition of vanilla, it's thought that the term French Vanilla came into use from Jefferson's ice cream experiments.
Look for more entries on ice cream this summer.
Source: Rain, Patricia, Vanilla, The Cultural History of the World's favorite Flavor and Fragrance. New York:Tarcher/Penguin, 2004.
Recipes
Moroccan Orange Salad
from Rain, Patricia, Vanilla, The Cultural History of the World's favorite Flavor and Fragrance. New York:Tarcher/Penguin, 2004.
1 tbls. lemon juice
2tbls. fresh orange juice
3 tbls. confectioner's sugar
1/2 teas. Vanilla Extract
1/2 cinnamon
romaine leaves, washed and dried
3-4 oranges, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup silvered or chopped blanched almonds
8 dates, sliced lengthwise
In a small bowl, combine lemon and orange juice, confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon.
Arrange lettuce leaves on a serving plate. Layer orange slices decoratively onto plate. Spoon juice/sugar mixture over the oranges and sprinkle almonds and fresh dates on top. Chill until serving.
Whole Grain Mexican Wedding Cookies
101 cookbooks
1 cup pecans, toasted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup organic unsalted butter
1/2 cup fine grain evaporated cane sugar
A splash of vanilla extract
A splash of bourbon (optional)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry four
1 cup oat flour
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
organic powdered sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Puree the pecans in a food processor until they become a fine meal. You don't want to go so far that they become a paste.>
In a mixer beat the butter until it becomes creamy, add the sugar and mix until everything is creamy and lighter in color. The vanilla and bourbon go in next followed by the nut meal. Slowly add the flours and salt and mix until a stiff dough is formed. On a piece of plastic wrap pat the dough into a disk 3/4-inch thick. Cover with another piece of plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. This makes for easy cookie stamping.>
Use a 1-inch cookie cutter to shape the cookies and place them on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies begin to brown ever so slightly. Dust with powdered sugar.>
Makes 1 1/2 dozen small cookies.
Vanilla Mashed Sweet Potato Recipe
101cookbooks
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, cleaned and left a bit damp
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/3 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
1 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
kosher salt
white pepper in a mill
Preheat the oven to 350F. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until tender to a fork tip, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cook until warm enough to handle, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel and discard the skin. Put the potatoes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.
Meanwhile, pour the cream into a 2-quart pot, add the vanilla bean and orange zest, if using, and set it over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Use tongs to fish out and discard the vanilla bean. Pour the mixture over the potatoes in the processor and add the butter.
Puree the potato mixture until smooth. Season with salt and 4 grinds of pepper, or to taste. Keep covered and warm until ready to serve.
Serves four.
