Bean Plant With a Thick Stalk & Yellow Flowers

Not All Bean Plants Are Legumes

• Propagation by podded fruit called beans is customarily associated with the Fabaceae family, formerly the Leguminosae, legume, family. What distinguishes the legume family from other plant families, however, is the ability of its members to grow nitrogen-fixing nodules on their roots. From tiny clover through many kinds of beans and peas to the gigantic Central American jungle Entada vine, legumes enrich the soil for plants beyond their own species. Members of the orchid and other plant families also propagate by means of podded fruit, described informally, if inaccurately, as beans.

Where and How Vanilla Grows

• Like many orchids, Vanilla planifola is a parasitic plant, requiring host trees to climb. Vines can reach heights of 60 to 80 feet, and plants do not usually begin to bear until more than 10 feet tall. Vanilla is a tropical forest plant requiring shady, warm, humid conditions. It grows in Mexico, Madagascar, Renunion Islands and Tahiti/Papua, New Guinea. Uganda and India are newer to commercial vanilla culture.

Vanilla Culture

• Mexican vanilla, Vanilla planifolia Jackson is distinguished by natural pollination. In other countries, the flowers of Bourbon or Tahitian vanilla orchids, which bloom only for a day, must be pollinated by hand, using a process developed by Edmund Albus, a former slave, for the industry on Reunion Island. Pods grow for as long as 10 months before harvest. Handpicked, they are then sorted for size and quality. Grading systems vary by variety and country of origin but usually involve four to five categories.

Vanilla Bean Processing

• One of three processes generally determines the final quality of vanilla beans. The oldest, the Bourbon process, was developed for Madagascar production. Composed of four stages designed to concentrate and preserve vanilla fragrance, the Bourbon process combines air-drying with a final storage in closed containers. Overall, the process can take 6 or more months and up to a year. The Texas Cooperative Extension describes a simpler 6-month process used in Mexico, involving air-drying on blankets followed by further drying on grass mats. The Vanilla Bean Guide warns against a third process of quick drying over controlled fires, used primarily in Indonesia to produce lower-priced but also lower-quality vanilla beans quickly.

Choosing Vanilla Beans

• Vanilla producers urge the use of all your senses when choosing vanilla beans. Pods should be dark brown to black, clean and shiny. The aroma should be strong and pleasing. Mexican pods tend to be larger, and more expensive, than pods from Madagascar or other island sources. Mexican vanilla is often described as sweeter than other varieties. Other varieties may be distinguished by their floral or smoky qualities. All bring a unique and delicious flavor to food.