Vanilla Tincture & Alcohol-Free Extract

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) is a climbing orchid of the orchid family, Orchidaceae, native to the humid forests of Mexico and Central America and cultivated in Madagascar, Indonesia, Tahiti and Hawaii. Its fleshy, green, vine-like stems climb trees by aerial roots to 15 meters or more, with thick, oblong, glossy leaves and clusters of pale greenish-yellow flowers that open for a single day and, outside Mexico, must be pollinated by hand. The long, slender green pods are harvested unripe and develop their dark color and sweet vanillin scent only through months of sweating and sun-drying. We extract the dried bean.