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vanilla
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
syn: Vanilla planifolia
Fam: Orchidaceae
Spice Description
The flavouring comes from the seed pod, or the ‘bean’ of the vanilla plant. The prepared beans are very dark brown, slender, pleated and about 20 cm (8 in) long. The bean is tough and pliable, quality vanilla having a frosting of crystal called givre. The crystals contain the active ingredient ‘vanillin’ that produces the characteristic fragrance and is produced during the process of induced fermentation.
Preparation and Storage
Vanilla extract is made by percolating alcohol and water through chopped, cured beans, somewhat like making coffee. Vanilla extract is very powerful, a few drops sufficing for most uses. Vanilla bean is a bit more time consuming to use than the extract, but imparts the stongest vanilla flavour without the alcohol of extract.
To flavour a liquid base for creme sauces, puddings, ice creams, etc., allow one bean per pint to steep in the liquid by boiling and allowing to cool for an hour before removing the bean. This can be repeated a few times if the bean is washed after use, dried and kept airtight. Ground vanilla can also be used, but use half as much and leave in the liquid. Many recipes call for slitting the bean lengthwise and scraping out the tiny black seeds. Airtight storage is necessary, otherwise the aroma will dissipate. A good way to store whole vanilla is to bury it in sugar. Use a jar with a tight-fitting lid that will hold about a pound of sugar, burying the bean so that no light can reach it. After 2 -3 weeks the sugar tastes of vanilla and can be used in coffee or in other recipes and the bean can be removed for other uses and returned to the sugar after cleaning. Keep topping up the sugar.
Plant Description and Cultivation
Vanilla is a tropical climbing orchid, with a long green fleshy stem that sprouts roots that cling to trees parasitically. Its yellow or orange orchidaceous flowers grow in bunches, which bloom one flower each day, opening one by one during the two month season. Vanilla is a tropical crop and cannot grow naturally in temperate climates. When cultivated the vines are trained using posts and support trees.
In nature they are only pollinated by Mexican bees and hummingbirds that are capable of penetrating a tough membrane that separates the plant’s pistol and stamen. European entrepreneurs had transplanted vanilla to grow in other tropical locations but could not get them to produce the pods. It wasn’t until 1836 that a botanist from Belgium, Charles Morren, recognized that the flowers were not being pollinated and would require some human assistance. In 1841, Edmond Albius, a former slave, on the French Island of Réunion, perfected a method to artificially fertilize the short-lived vanilla flower using a thin bamboo skewer to lift the membrane and use his thumb to smear the pollen. This gave great impetus to vanilla bean husbandry, and the method is still used today. |
delfi, marhowie, thistle, wallhalla15, jmp has marked this note useful
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- delfi
![Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor [C: 17 W: 26 N: 5]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/s-s-n.gif)
(44) - [2005-11-27 5:19]
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Yes !
Brilliant! Great composition, great colors:
Silky smooth & Noise-free operation, it's... yum-yum-good !!!
Hello Alejandro!
I've never knew it is so beautiful.
Your photo is great, very good technically, but the BG is quite distracting. I made a WS to check what how it look like with black BG. It's quite easy to create natural dark BG using flash.
I like the photo and the note very much.
VERY WELL DONE & TFS
Very nice shot Alejandro. Excellent detail, color, DOF and sharpness. Good exposure also. I think Monika's workshop helped to greatly improve the impact of your shot. Superb note on the plant and its use..
Well done! Thank You.
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- RII
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 472 W: 0 N: 852]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(2680) - [2005-12-01 20:03]
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Hola Alejandro.
Que bonita composicion,me gustan los detalles,buen trabajo.
Saludos...RICARDO.
Hello Alejandro,
very interesting plant. Colorful photo, good sharpness and details. Well done. Thanks for sharing.
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- jmp
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1836 W: 94 N: 2338]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(8400) - [2006-02-13 7:38]
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Hola Alejandro.
Muy buena definición y color. Bonita foto y buena descripción de la vainilla.
