Vanilla is one of the most familiar flavors in the world, but its story actually begins with a delicate tropical orchid. 🌿 In Episode 41, Dragonetti Florist takes a closer look at the fascinating floral origin of vanilla extract and the amount of time, care, and hands-on work behind every vanilla bean.

In this episode, you’ll learn 🎧

• Why vanilla comes from an orchid called Vanilla planifolia
• How each vanilla flower opens for only a short window before it begins to wilt
• Why vanilla flowers often need to be pollinated by hand
• How the flower develops into a green vanilla pod over several months
• What happens during drying and curing to create the aroma and flavor we recognize as vanilla

We also explore why real vanilla has such a complex flavor and how different vanilla beans can have their own creamy, floral, or fruity notes. It is an interesting reminder that something sitting in almost every kitchen started its journey as a flower.

As a family-run flower shop in Brooklyn with a love for plants and flowers of all kinds, we always enjoy digging into botanical stories like this one. The vanilla orchid is a great example of just how much can happen between a flower blooming and the finished product we know and use every day.

Listen to Episode 41 and discover vanilla from a completely different point of view. 🌸

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