How to grow vanilla in Madagascar

You can get there by car, but it's long enough. Today, therefore, we chose the plane.



Let's go! Iwata Airport, the city of Antananarivo.





We fly. 600 km behind.



Destination airport Manakara. We have been waiting for - meet.



Then 60 kilometers on asphalt. The nature of our sight for sore eyes!



Then a little more on the "country road" - it I did not shoot as much shaking. The road toll. The photo prices. Motorcycle 500 Ariary, 1000 Ariary passenger car, etc. The money collected, in order to thaw was something repaired. In the rainy season to overcome these 23 kilometers possible only on the level of off-road Defender.



All you have to leave, jeeps will travel no further - now only on foot. Around the jungles and rice fields in the lowlands.



Unexpected obstacles!



Aborigine wonders what happened there in white?



It turns out everything is simple: he likes-nehosh and had to take off our shoes. It is dangerous to ride through the canals - slippery.



Well, that's already a plantation. Left and right of vanilla.



We have no waiting. Communication is not there, because every visit unexpected.



This is our office. What did you expect in the jungle?



Gradually begin to gather workers.

We always welcome here.



Although there are swear.

The kitchen - dining room. Lunch is always 12:00



Today's menu: cassava tubers,



Soup with beef and rice (white, Pakistan)



The meal we share with them did not, because there is no time - we still have to go back and back the manager had walked. Come watch the plantation.



Vanilla is an orchid. In order to grow a vine attached to a tree-guardian. The same guardian provides the necessary shade and the greenhouse effect. The three main conditions: heat (average 27), high humidity and proper care.



Lives vine about 10-12 years, so the plantation must be constantly updated. The photo plant that 4 months. Planting cuttings. Fruiting starts in the third year.



Vanilla excellent this year. The photo pods that grow in mid June to about 22 cm in length. And this is the highest grade. Will they only collect and process quality.



And in the beginning was this: to appear pods, vanilla is necessary to pollinate. This process is done by hand.



Each flower must "marry." Details are HERE.



He opened pollination method of 12-year-old servant to Edmond Albius Reunion (Bourbon Vanilla. Detective Story occurrence). It is thanks to him began to grow vanilla everywhere.

30. Tearing immature vanilla, green and begin long-term treatment.



First of all, the pods must be scalded with boiling water. Water is heated to 63 degrees for three minutes and immersed therein vanilla. Immediately afterwards pods spilling into blankets and sheltering from the top. Leave about a day "to rest." It is necessary to stop the pod to ripen and began to ferment.



Then the vanilla is dried in the sun for 4-5 hours a day for 10 days. On the night of her clean the room, pre-wrapped in a blanket (jute sacks). After that, the pods ripen for a month in the shade, in a well-ventilated area.



When dried vanilla "thinner" seven times. Follow this process is very important as it's the wrong treatment leads to such disastrous results:



When the pods are ripe, they start the calibration and packaging. Vanilla sorted by size, remove the side pods split.



Then it was tied into bundles and sent to the warehouse.



There are 4 kinds of vanilla.



FD / Noire - 15

Fondue / black. The word "funds" means that the lower part of the pod split.



That compared with normal.

Normal vanilla, as it sealed.

"Fund" is defective and pods are sold only because all the other indicators are normal. Humidity 25-30%. Size 15 cm. It is the cheapest of vanilla pods.



Vanilla TC. 15 cm. 25-30% humidity. Black color. Very aromatic and rich taste. This is for real gourmets!

The name comes from the transformation of the expression «Touton Quatrième».

«Touton» - a French company that has long been engaged in buying vanilla in Madagascar. A «quatrième» meant fourth price category (samoyu road), on which the "Tuton" bought vanilla. The peasants could not utter a «Touton Quatrième» and the title, eventually, transformed into "TK". So it stuck. If you now ask to Sambava sellers vanilla why this quality is called "TC", I think that no one will answer.



European Quality

Quality requirements for Europe. 25% humidity. Color brown.



American quality

The quality requirements for the United States: 22% humidity. Color red-brown.



After the sale of games (prior to export), we once again check all the boxes for damaged pods.



Almost always rejected for approximately 5 percent of the vanilla - very finicky spice.



That's all! From the flower and pod before it takes about 10 months.



Source: kak-eto-sdelano.livejournal.com