Pollination of Vanilla/Artisan techniques. by Orchid Fine Spices

Vanilla must be pollinated by hand

The vanilla orchid originates in Mexico, where only 3% of the total production it is pollinated in the wild by bees. Because of this, the vanilla orchids must be pollinated by hand. The yellow vanilla flower blooms just one day per year, and is typically open for only a few hours. Pollination of the flowers therefore requires a great deal of manual labour. Hand-pollination usually occurs between March and May.

It takes seven to nine months from the time of pollination until the vanilla is mature and can be harvested. At this stage, they are called green vanilla beans and do in fact resemble green string beans. The longer the vanilla is allowed to mature on the plant, the more concentrated the vanilla flavour will be after processing. The quality of vanilla is judged by its concentration of the aroma compound vanillin, which also impacts its market price. If the vanilla remains on the plant too long, the bean may burst, resulting in lower quality, so it has to be picked just in time.

VANILLA FLOWERS JUST AFTER POLLINATION PROCESS.

PATIENCE IS KEY IN THIS STAGE,

VANILLA WILL START GROWING AND EVENTUALLY WILL BECOME THIS BEAUTIFUL BEANS OR PODS.

MEXICAN VANILLA USUALLY GROWS UP TO 20-22 CM IN LENGTH, THIS IS WHY OUR BEANS ARE CONSIDERED THE WORLD´S BEST AND FINEST.

ORCHID FINE SPICES. 2021

LA ORQUIDEA ESPECIAS FINAS S.PR RL.