"Everette Humphrey... former Hamady High School science educator started cultivating vanilla beans eight years ago. He knew all about orchids [well... smile...], having grown the delicate tropical plants for 50 years.
"Hand-pollinating was something new for me," Humphrey says... He had to learn a technique discovered 200 years ago in the jungles of Mexico [wrong !]. ... It was observed that a bee found only in Mexico was pollinating the vanilla flowers. This led humans to develop a method of hand-pollination, allowing beans to be cultivated in many locales. Humphrey says his score for pollinating the flowers that first year was zero. "I wasn't capturing enough pollen and not placing it well," he says. He gradually caught on, to the point that 150 beans developed in 189 blossoms this year. After a bean matures over five to eight months, two more steps must take place before the seeds or extract is available to flavor foods. Humphrey dries the beans in airtight sealable plastic bags in the sun for a couple of weeks. The beans will turn dark and shrink. He then cuts them into 1-inch pieces and steeps them in vodka for about two months. Two species are used commercially, he says. Pompona is the most widely cultivated because it is more prolific. Planofolia beans yield a more intense, complex flavor. Humphrey grows both. ... Humphrey gives away most of the homemade extract to women in his church who like to bake. ... With whole beans costing up to $2 each, extract is much more economical plus having long life in the bottle. Imitation vanilla extract is not made from real vanilla at all, but from wood pulp with flavor that is chemically similar. Cook's Illustrated magazine tested pure and artificial extract in baked goods and said its staff could not taste any difference. Both real and imitation vanilla extract is about 35 percent alcohol, the magazine noted, which could mean that differences are masked when small amounts are used in baked goods. The recipes below all call for vanilla extract. But you are urged to buy a bean or two once in a while to transform ice cream, pudding or creme brulee into a rare treat. Carefully split a bean without cutting through it and then scrape away the seeds with a spoon. The formulas below for vanilla extract and vanilla sugar are from "Homemade in the Kitchen" by Barry Bluestein and Kevin Morrissey... The recipe for fruit shake is from Universal Press Syndicate. Waldorf salad with vanilla dressing is from McCormick. Vanilla delight bars are from Jeanne Jones. Fruit shake 10 1/4 oz. pkg. silken tofu 16 oz. bag frozen fruit 1 1/2 T. honey or to taste 1/2 t. vanilla extract Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Makes 2 servings. NOTE: If you use cut-up fresh fruit, such as bananas or sweetened frozen fruit, adjust the sweetener accordingly. With unsweetened raspberries, add more sweetener. Vanilla extract Cut 2 vanilla beans in half lengthwise and then chop. Combine with 1/2 cup brandy and 1/4 cup water in a pint jar with a lid. Start using after two weeks days. Mixture should be good up to a year. Vanilla sugar Place 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/2 of a vanilla bean, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces, in a food processor. Process until bean is finely ground. Store in covered container and use in any recipe calling for sugar. Sprinkle on cereal, toast or fresh fruit. Vanilla sauce 1 c. butter or margarine 1/2 t. lemon juice 1/4 t. vanilla extract Melt the butter in small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and carefully pour off the clear portion of butter into a small bowl to use as clarified butter. Stir lemon juice and vanilla extract into clarified butter. Serve hot with steamed lobster, other seafood or vegetables. Waldorf salad with vanilla dressing 4 apples, cored and cut into bite-size pieces 2 celery stalks, chopped 1 c. seedless green grapes 1/2 c. walnut pieces 1 c. mayonnaise 1/4 c. honey 1 t. vanilla extract Pinch ground ginger In large bowl, combine the apples, celery, grapes and walnuts. In smaller bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, honey, vanilla and ginger. Pour dressing over salad, toss and chill. Vanilla delight bars 2/3 c. sugar 1/4 c. honey 1 egg 1/4 c. canola oil 3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce 2 c. flour 1 t. baking soda 1/4 t. salt 1 t. cinnamon 1/3 c. chopped pecans, toasted 1/4 c. raisins 2/3 c. confectioners' sugar 1/2 t. vanilla 1 to 1 1/2 T. water Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, honey and egg. Beat in the oil and applesauce. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and stir into the applesauce mixture. Stir in the pecans and raisins. Spread the mixture in the pan and bake about 25 minutes, until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly. For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough water to make it thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle the glaze over the bars while still warm. Let the bars cool completely before cutting." URL : http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/entertainment/index.ssf/2008/07/often_imitated_former_teacher.html photo : [caption : "Everette Humphrey points out a vanilla bean cluster. The former Hamady High School science educator started cultivating vanilla beans eight years ago."] http://blog.mlive.com/entertainmentnow_impact/2008/07/large_Vanilla_plant.jpg ****************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
