Vanilla
Makenna Gonzales
What is Vanilla?
How is Vanilla Made?
Planting - Vine cuttings are planted. They take 18 months to mature and start flowering and are hand polinated.
Harvest - The green pods are harvested after growing on the vine for 9 months. The pods are odorless.
Killing - The celular tisue of the pods has to be killed to prevent further growth. This is usually done by extreame heating (sun, oven, boiling) or freezing.
Curing - The pods are kept in hot, humid conditions (45º-65°C or 115º-150°F) for 7 to 10 days. This allows the enzymes in the pods to cure into vanilla.
Drying - To keep the pods from rotting, they are dried. This is ussually done by laying them in the sun. By the end of the drying process, the pods will loose 80% of their water weight. When they are done drying they will be arromatic.
Facts About Vanilla
- Vanilla is vey rare and expensive.
- Vanilla has lots of health benefits.