Hello! How was your week? Mine was pretty quiet after a short trip to Missouri last weekend. I just thought I would share a little of what I have learned about vanilla since I started on my journey.

Vanilla originated in Mexico where the Totonac people are thought to be the first to cultivate it. Vanilla is a product of vanilla orchids. The seed pod is what we use to make extract and other vanilla products. The Totonacs and later the Aztecs used vanilla in sacred ceremonies. Spanish explorers took vanilla orchids back to Europe and tried to cultivate it there. Unfortunately, they didn't realize that they needed the Melipona bee, which is native to Central America, to pollinate the flowers. It took from the 1500s, when they took the orchids to Europe, until 1841 before vanilla was successfully cultivated in Europe. A slave named Edmond Albius brilliantly figured out how to hand pollinate the orchids.

Since that time almost all vanilla orchids in the world are hand pollinated. That is one of many reasons why vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world. Another reason is that vanilla orchids only bloom for 24 hours! Yikes! No pressure there! Next time I will tell you about how vanilla is grown and processed. Until then look over my products. I also have a site where I sell some designs related to the passion that is extract making. Check it out at: https://www.spreadshirt.com/shop/user/vanillaholic/

TTFN!