Where to find vanilla

As ubiquitous as vanilla is, however, its origin isn't known to everyone. Do you know where vanilla comes from? Vanilla's origin story is anything but While chocolate may be superior to vanilla in all ways, vanilla is still pretty great. The fact that it comes from a beautiful, delicate orchid makes it that much better. Want to read more from HuffPost Taste? Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Pinterest and Tumblr.

News U. Politics Joe Biden Congress Extremism. Special Projects Highline. HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes. Follow Us. Terms Privacy Policy. All rights reserved. Vanilla comes from an orchid. Vanilla comes from orchids of the genus Vanilla. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. We'll also tell you which stores are most likely to carry them Great Ways to Use Vanilla Beans. What Stores Sell Vanilla Beans? Amazon - There are tons of vendors on Amazon selling vanilla beans.

Prices vary greatly, so look around for deals. Usually, you can find the best deals when you buy in bulk. You can also pick up Rodelle Gourmet Vanilla Beans and other brands. If you're not sure what's available at the Walmart in your area, check the website's store locator.

Whole Foods - Whole Foods may have its own store brand of vanilla beans. Next, over a period of a month, growers expose the beans to the gentle morning sun three to four hours a day. In the afternoon, they wrap the beans in cloth and store them in crates until the next morning, to promote transpiration. Little by little, the water evaporates, causing the beans to shrink. After a month, when the vanilla has received its fill of sunlight, the beans are left for 40 days to dry in a shaded and ventilated spot, which reduces their moisture content.

Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa with rolling hills and low mountains. It is believed that vanilla was first introduced to Uganda in the s by British farmers.

Although vanilla-pollinating bees do live in Uganda, they are too few and far between to be of much use, so Ugandan beans are hand-pollinated.

The beans are best picked when the ends become slightly yellow and split. Then, they go through a blanching, sweating and storing process similar to that of Madagascar. Tasting Notes: Vanilla beans cultivated in Uganda are creamy, like Madagascar Bourbon, but slightly sweeter, with notes of chocolate.

Indonesia has become the second largest producer of vanilla behind Madagascar, with production methods that emphasize quantity. Indonesian growers are known for harvesting all the beans from a vine at once, a labor-saving adjustment.

Due differences in the cultivation and curing process as compared with the other regions, Indonesian vanilla beans offer a sharper, woodier profile. This curing method helps give the beans stability, which is needed for use in high-heat applications. Oftentimes Indonesian beans are blended with vanilla from other regions. Searching the globe for the highest quality vanilla to create our products has always been a core value of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas. However, making the world a better place for vanilla farmers to live ranks even higher.

Read our Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report for more information about the sustainability projects Nielsen-Massey is involved in. We take your privacy seriously. You can withdraw your consent at any time. Please leave this field empty. There is nothing more exciting than watching the leaves slowly change colors and enjoying fall favorites like hot apple cider or pie.

This year, gather your family and friends and head to your favorite orchard or local shop to stock up on fresh-picked apples and put your apron on. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website.