GROWING

As the popularity of vanilla grew in Europe in the 18th and 19th centries, many botanists thought that rather than import from Mexico, involving many months of sea travel, that they would try and grow it themselves.

Easily propagated via cuttings, the vine was successfully grown in greenhouses across Northern Europe and introduced to islands such as Madagascar and Isle de Bourbon (Reunion) by the French.

However, even when the elusive flowers bloomed, pollination remained a mystery and the flowers failed to produce fruit. It seemed that the insect that pollinated the flowers naturally, existed in Mexico but nowhere else.

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It was not until 1841, on the island of Reunion, that a 12-year-old slave boy, Edmond Albius, developed a method for hand pollination using a small sharp stick like a toothpick. With this, he would very gently lift the rostellum (a small flap of tissue separating the anther containing the pollen and the stigma, the female organ) and press the two together to marry them. Edmond's method is still used across the world to this day.

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Flower buds are produced in inflorescences with many flowers on each, however, the flowers bloom individually each day before sunrise and remain open and receptive to pollination for only a few hours. Pollination must, therefore, occur within a very short time window each day. If left until the afternoon, the flowers close, wilt and fall.

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When pollination does occur, the flower remains attached, and slowly, over the course of the next 6-9 months, a long green bean develops. Harvesting takes place when the very tip starts to turn yellow. If left too long, there is a danger of the bean splitting. If picked too early, the level of vanillin is low.