In the Alchemist’s Kitchen – Vol 12 - Vanilla (Part I)
You know its aroma – it beckons you to the kitchen as your cookies are baking, it flavors your ice cream and scents your aromatherapy candles. It is in both Coke and Pepsi and it is by far the most popular extract in the world, making an appearance in almost 18,000 commercial products worldwide. It is vanilla and if you are from the US, congratulations, because most of the worlds’ vanilla is consumed in the US. In 2020, 7,614 tonnes of vanilla was harvested, with almost 40% production from Madagascar and 30% from Indonesia. The remaining 30% is produced by the rest of the world in places as far spread as Tahiti, Mexico, and Hawaii. Priced at almost $300 per pound, pure vanilla is so expensive due to the fact that the orchid flowers of the vanilla plant must today be hand pollinated, and the crop itself susceptible to weather, political instability, and even hoarding by middle men who want to raise prices. Today, less than 1% of the vanilla flavorings come from the vanilla flower. To recreate natural vanilla’s essence, over 400 molecules would have to be included, though by far the largest contributor is vanillin, shown here. In next week’s blog, we will explore the world of vanilla artificial flavors.
Vanilla Orchid Vine .jpg)
Vanilla Orchid Flower
In March of 2022, my husband and I visited Sharkey’s Farm in Papikou, Hawaii on the Big Island just north of Hilo. This small farm grows vanilla, cacao, and coffee and offers tours, tastings, and candy making workshops. Looking for all the world like a hippy expat, David, the owner of the farm, greeted us with some delicious Kona Coffee, and entertaining anecdotes of the early days of the farm, and invited us to explore his extensive library while we waited for the rest of the tour members to arrive. Shannon a young intern on the farm then took over, and led us on a walking tour of the cacao trees planted a short distance from the meeting room. Our initial focus was on the vanilla pods and vanilla production. Shannon explained how the vanilla is an orchid, and as an epiphytic plant, it grows on a vine and takes its oxygen and moisture from the air and so does not need to have any roots in the soil. It does however, need a trellis upon which to grow, and here on this farm, the trellis is the cacao trees themselves. Check out this video where Shannon explains how the vanilla vine grows.
While in its native Mexico, vanilla flowers were pollinated by native bees, but here in Hawaii and every other place where vanilla is grown today, the flowers must be hand pollinated. Since the pale-yellow flower is only fertile for 24 hours, every morning Shannon’s first task of the day is to walk through the grove looking for flowers that have just opened and pollinating them by the following method. Holding the orchid in one hand, use the other hand to take a small toothpick like stick and gently lift up a small petal covering and use your thumb to transfer the pollen from the anther to the stigma to fertilize it.
In Shannon’s hands, this takes seconds, and he does several hundred in a morning. In my hands, it took several minutes and sadly, my flower was damaged in the process. Check out this second video with Shannon’s clear explanations.
Each flower will produce one pod, though the pods cluster on the vine, and the pods will mature for 9 months (hmmmm, why does that sound so familiar) or so before they are ready to be picked.
Clearly, some skill is needed to do this successfully. This method of hand fertilization was developed by a 12-year-old slave named Edmond Albius on Réunion Island (originally named Bourbon Island) near Madagascar. The colonization of these islands by the French, and the colonized name of Bourbon after the French Bourbon Family – explains why you may see vanilla pods listed as Bourbon Pods – or French vanilla. The pods have never seen bourbon – though that does sound like a tasty way to extract flavor from the pods.
The Web is full of videos and blogs about how to make your own vanilla extract from pods. Pods can be purchased in bulk, but as with most things, the flavor will depend upon the country of origin and the grade of the pods, and the way in which the pod was dried, packaged, and stored. In one blog post, original “Bourbon” pods were judged to have the best flavor, but Tahitian pods added a floral note and Mexican pods a smoky chocolate note. I bet you didn’t realize that terroir affects the flavor or vanilla as much as it does wine or cheese. Most commonly, for at home production, vodka is used as an extraction agent and the pod cut into segments and steeped in the alcohol for several months in glass Mason jars or decorative bottles as shown here from Happy Sandy’s Kitchen - and here is here recipe.
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| Home Made Vanilla Extract |
- 3 Vanilla beans for every 8 ounces of liquid -
- 8 ounce bottles
- Vodka - any brand - it doesn't have to be an expensive brand. In fact I usually get the least expensive I can find. It should be 80 proof. (NOTE: others use spiced rum for a spicier finish)
Shannon tour guide
Sharkey's Farm 27-220 Kaapoko Homestead Road Papaikou, HI 96781
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