Vanilla plant, a divine tropical climber
The delicious vanilla beans we like to consume in our desserts are the dried fruits of a tropical vine native to Mexico, the Vanilla plant. The Aztecs nicknamed it the “black pod” and attributed sacred virtues to it, since, when mixed with cocoa, the resulting beverage could make them converse with the gods….
Is the Vanilla plant an orchid?
The Vanilla plant is a member of the Orchidaceae family and then, indeed is an orchid, but it has the big advantage of being able to be grown like any other tropical houseplant. Orchids require a special substrate made of bark and sphagnum moss; Vanillia plant on the other hand, can be planted in classic, fine, aerated potting soil.
After how long will the Vanilla plant flower?
Your vanilla plant needs to be a certain length to start flowering, minimum 3 to 4 meters. This size is generally reached after 3 years of cultivation. Be careful, this is a tropical vine to which you’ll need to offer a solid support where it can hang. It is perfectly capable of clinging to another tree and is not harmful to the staking tree.
How does the Vanilla flower give birth to a vanilla bean?
For a long time, Vanilla vines kept their mystery, because, outside their natural habitat, their flowers gave rise to no fruit. Here, we reveal the secrets of this enigma!
First of all, the flower of this orchid has both male and female organs, but they are separated by an impassable membrane, so they are unable to self-pollinate. What’s more, its pollen is very difficult to access, so the usual pollinators can’t transport it to other flowers. Finally, the flower only lasts a day, and only a few hours, which doesn’t help attract pollinators!
The only pollinators to triumph over these obstacles are a small hummingbird and a particular bee called the “melipona” or “maya bee”, both endemic to Mexico and not found elsewhere. This stingless bee is very pacifist, unlike our European bees. All females can lay eggs, not just the queen as in Europe, and their honey is sweeter and more fragrant, with a “taste of heaven”. These pollinators could not live in our climate, which is why vanilla flowers have to be pollinated by hand, and why vanilla is so expensive.
How to fertilize a vanilla orchid flower?
First, you need to open the flower to access its reproductive parts. Then get a toothpick, hold the base of the flower and gently lift the flap upwards with your toothpick. Locate the pollen in the upper part of the flower, under the flap. Then lift the separating membrane and pinch the top of the flower to bring the male and female parts into contact.
After two to three weeks, correctly fertilized flowers will turn green and swell, while others will turn yellow and soft.
How does the vanilla bean become edible?
Each fertilized vanilla flower will give birth to a pod, which will first need to mature for 8 to 10 months on the vanilla plant. The pods remain green and fragrance-free while maturing on the vanilla plants, turning yellow and then brown only at the very end of this ripening process. Some varieties of Vanilla have to be harvested before ripening, while still green, as the pods tend to burst, in which case production is lost.
It then takes a long process to make them edible and reveal their well-known powerful aromas. After picking, the vanilla beans are placed in hot water to stop them ripening. They are then “sweated” in wooden crates covered with blankets, to retain as much heat and water as possible: this triggers the enzymatic reactions, and the beans take on their familiar brown hue. Then comes the drying phase, first in the sun, then in the shade to finish off gently.
what are the different vanilla species ?
If the orchids family is gigantic, the Vanilla genus is very small as there are only four different species of Vanilla plant.
Vanilla planifolia
Vanilla planifolia is the most common species. Its is also known as West Indian vanilla. Its leaves can be a beautiful plain green or streaked with yellow in the case of ‘variegata‘. The beans of this vanilla plant give a powerful, aromatic taste, much used in desserts and pastries. It takes the name ‘Vanille bourbon‘ when grown in the Indian Ocean, to differentiate it from Mexican or Tahitian production.
Vanilla tahitensis
Vanilla tahitensis, so named because its cultivation for commercial purposes began in Tahiti, meanwhile possesses a great aromatic richness, very floral with aniseed tones. It is therefore often used in perfumery. It is thought to be a hybrid between Vanilla planifolia and Vanilla odorata (also known as Vanilla tlatepusco), a very rare and uncultivated vanilla found in Mexico and Guatemala. Its leaves are longer and thinner than those of Vanilla planifolia, and its pods are longer.
Vanilla pompona
Vanilla pompona, native to Central America, is the largest and rarest of the vanilla orchids. It has the largest leaves, flowers and pods of any vanilla orchid. This vanilla has the highest vanillin content and complex, sweet, floral and woody aromas that linger on the palate. It is widely used in maceration to flavor spirits, for example. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find, as cultivation is much more arduous and not very profitable, due to the fact that the vast majority of its fruits burst before reaching maturity
In what form should you buy vanilla?
The royal form is obviously the whole vanilla bean, which must be incised along its entire length and then scraped to harvest the beans.
Vanilla can also be found in powdered form: these are ground vanilla beans . It’s easier to use, but loses some of its aromatic qualities, as the seeds (the vanillin) have already been removed.
Next comes vanilla extract, the least expensive but of very mediocre quality. Empty beans are macerated in a mixture of water and alcohol. Beware: there is a synthetic form of vanilla extract on the market, to be avoided at all costs! If you choose to use vanilla in this form, buy only 100% natural extract.
What to do with your vanilla beans after extraction?
Vanilla is so precious that it would be a shame to throw away the pods once they’ve been used. Indeed, many vanilla beans often remain lodged in them, even after careful scraping of the pod.
You can start by making your own vanilla extract, simply by macerating your beans in a bottle of alcohol at least 40° proof, such as rum, vodka or fruit spirit… Store the bottle in a cool, dark place.
Can you grow a Vanilla plant at home ?
The good news? The answer is yes, in pots, of course. Obviously, your Vanilla plants will thrive best in a greenhouse, but if the conditions are right, they can absolutely thrive in your home or conservatory.
You’ll prefer an easterly exposure, with plenty of light in the morning but absolutely no direct sunlight, although a little afternoon shade won’t displease them. This room needs to be heated, as Vanilla plants are very sensitive to the cold: 16°C minimum!
You’ll need to maintain a certain level of humidity, but absolutely avoid leaving any water in the saucer.
As mentioned above, a light universal potting soil is all you need to keep your vanilla plant happy
