 |
|
| |
|
"Commercial vanilla farms are found in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Java, though the world’s biggest producer is the island republic of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa."
|
The Fruit Of The Vanilla Orchid |
|
| |
Phalaenopsis Orchids
Navigation |
|
|
The Fruit Of The Vanilla Orchid |
"One type has green pseudobulbs, small flowers and a very prominent lip Another type has tiny pseudobulbs with cylindrical shaped leaves which help the plant collect and store water."
The Fruit of the Vanilla Orchid
Vanilla flavoring, from the pod of the vanilla orchid, has only been known to old-world kitchens for about 400 years. However, how long Central Americans have been using this time of flavor is unknown.
If you have ever accidentally omitted the vanilla from any baking recipe, you know the flat taste without it. Europeans, however, were the first to get addicted to the magical combination of vanilla with another new-world ingredient, sugar.
Just as you carefully pour just one spoonful of vanilla into your cooking, vanilla orchid farmers carefully nurture, fertilize, and harvest this invaluable spice.
Where is it From?
The vanilla orchid generally refers to a specific species named Vanilla planifolia, which produces the pods used to make commercial vanilla extract. There are a few other species in the vanilla orchid family; most are never used in industry.
When we think of orchids, we may think of upright flowers with a few leaves. However, the vanilla orchid is actually a vine. It snakes up the trunk of a tree and makes it look like the tree trunk itself is sprouting leaves.
Commercial vanilla farms are found in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Java, though the worlds biggest producer is the island republic of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa. Cultivation methods vary as some farmers set the vines to grow on trees because it is a good way to get an additional crop out of an orchard. Other farmers may set up frames or stakes to support the vine.
In either case, the vine should not be allowed to grow too high because vanilla orchid blooms must be hand-fertilized to produce fruit. Because vanilla is an imported plant, there are not always insects around that are adapted to pollinate it.
The vanilla orchid vine will produce a vanilla pod when the flower withers, but the vanilla bean is not ready to be harvested until it has cured on the vine an additional six to nine months. As the pods ripen, they produce a strong vanilla smell. After the harvest, the six to eight inch long pods must then be cured before they are ready for the final step: becoming vanilla extract.
The final step is basically to chop up or mash the pods and let them soak in alcohol from a few days to a few weeks. The manufacturer then filters the liquid, which has become a nice rich brown, bottles it, and sells it. You can do the same process at home. Place two long vanilla bean pods (available at specialty grocery stores) into a bottle of vodka, close it back up, and put it in a dark place for a few months. Then voila, vanilla!
Learning To Make Your Own Orchid Arrangement Can Save You A Small Fortune
The first thing you can do is to join a national orchid grower society such as the American Orchid Society.
"The giver shows that he/she has good taste and the receiver is complimented by the fact that she is given such an exotic, gorgeous flower."
|
|
Phalaenopsis Orchids Information |
| China's gold-mine wild orchids face extinction (China Economic Net)
Where have all the flowers gone? Over-harvesting fuelled by surging market prices is threatening to wipe out several species of wild orchids in eastern China, some of which command as much as 5,000 a pot, state media reported on Friday.
Show puts orchids on center stage (Centre Daily Times)
I have always enjoyed going to Longwood Gardens, in Kennett Square. One of my favorite places to visit there is the orchid house. There are so many different kinds of orchids, each with its own personality.
China's Gold-Mine Wild Orchids Face Extinction (Environmental News Network)
Over-harvesting fuelled by surging market prices is threatening to wipe out several species of wild orchids in eastern China, some of which command as much as 5,000 a pot, state media reported on Friday.
Orchids and Onions (Tribune Chronicle)
ORCHIDS: To Warren G. Harding High School Key Club and adviser, Janis Sanfrey, who recently sponsored the annual Special Needs Spring Fling dance. Key Club members volunteered their time serving refreshments and dancing the night away with students. Their efforts made a difference in many lives.
Blooming orchids (The Pantagraph)
A whiff of vanilla is unmistakable, and it comes from an orchid. Orchids also smell of exotic spices, sweet florals, Mentholatum, new-mown hay and rotting carcasses.
China's Gold-Mine Wild Orchids Face Extinction (Planet Ark)
BEIJING - Where have all the flowers gone? Over-harvesting fuelled by surging market prices is threatening to wipe out several species of wild orchids in eastern China, some of which command as much as US5,000 a pot, state media reported on Friday.
Orchids for Mother's Day (BellaOnline)
Orchids are in fact one of the best buys you can make for any holiday, especially if you pick a Phalaenopsis.
Orchids, with their bright colors and long-lived blooms, have always attracted peoples’ attention.
|
| "This site is great!" |
| "The information on this site is great!" |
| "This is just what I've been looking for." |
| "Salep is derived from the tubers of several species of Orchis." |
| "One of the best places to find orchids is your local nursery." |
|
|
|
|
|
More Phalaenopsis Orchids Articles |
|
|
|
|
