It's vanilla bean harvest day!
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@dasgrueneblatt the pod that was open at the bottom, i smelled the open area and it smelled like vanilla. but when the pods are closed, they don't smell like anything.
@mk30 so interesting, thank you 💚🌱
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@mk30 I don't think I've ever seen photos of the green beans.... they look just like any other green bean. huh. wild.
amazing that they ripen on the vine for *9 months* before harvest, too! I had no idea.
@bouncinglime i didn't know either until i started getting flowers that i could pollinate, and then started learning more about the process.
after this initial 2 weeks of boiling and sweating and drying, i think they have to cure for another 6 months.... there will be sooooo much anticipation in that first taste of the final bean 😅
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It's vanilla bean harvest day! After growing vanilla vines in various places for various years and finally getting some flowers in a place I could reach (as opposed to high up in a tree), then hand-pollinating them with the right technique, then waiting for the pods to reach full size over a couple months, then letting the pods ripen on the vine for 9 months, they're finally ready to harvest!
I'll be using this thread to track the rest of the process.
So, how did I know when to harvest? According to this blog post: https://vanillery.com/ripe-green-vanilla-pods/ they are ready to harvest when the bottoms are yellow and just starting to crack. I've included pics below showing my pods this morning when I decided to harvest.
Pic 1: yellow on the bottom
Pic 2: yellow on bottom and just starting to split
Pic 3: further splitting, with seeds visible inside. I smelled this one at the place where it was opening, and it smelled fantastic - like vanilla.Next steps described in next posts...
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@mk30 that truly is an accomplishment to brag about! 🤩🥰
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@bouncinglime i didn't know either until i started getting flowers that i could pollinate, and then started learning more about the process.
after this initial 2 weeks of boiling and sweating and drying, i think they have to cure for another 6 months.... there will be sooooo much anticipation in that first taste of the final bean 😅
@mk30 def getting a better appreciation of why it's so expensive! geeze that's a long time!
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After patting the vanilla pods dry, I wrapped them in towels and packed them in an insulated cooler bag with a hot water bottle, wrapped in more towel.
This is the beginning of the "sweating" stage that lasts 10-14 days. The will spend evenings wrapped up with a hot water bottle in an insulated cooler bag, and they will spend daytime drying in the sun.
See process description here: https://www.kingson-foodtech.com/en/a4-11232-16797/The-Journey-of-Vanilla-Beans-Vanilla-Bean-Processing.html
And here: https://www.vanillapura.com/blogs/vanilla-extract-making-101/how-to-cure-vanilla-beans-at-home-a-step-by-step-guidePic 1: I wrapped the pods in their little towels, then packed them in an insulated cooler bag that was lined with a big folded towel.
Pic 2: I put a hot water bottle on top, wrapped it all up in the big towel, and zipped up the cooler bag.They will stay like this till tomorrow (I'll keep an eye on the water bottle and refill with hot water as necessary), then will set to sun dry during the daytime tomorrow.
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@mk30 that’s amazing, what is your grow zone?
I am also a tad jealous. -
It's vanilla bean harvest day! After growing vanilla vines in various places for various years and finally getting some flowers in a place I could reach (as opposed to high up in a tree), then hand-pollinating them with the right technique, then waiting for the pods to reach full size over a couple months, then letting the pods ripen on the vine for 9 months, they're finally ready to harvest!
I'll be using this thread to track the rest of the process.
So, how did I know when to harvest? According to this blog post: https://vanillery.com/ripe-green-vanilla-pods/ they are ready to harvest when the bottoms are yellow and just starting to crack. I've included pics below showing my pods this morning when I decided to harvest.
Pic 1: yellow on the bottom
Pic 2: yellow on bottom and just starting to split
Pic 3: further splitting, with seeds visible inside. I smelled this one at the place where it was opening, and it smelled fantastic - like vanilla.Next steps described in next posts...
1/
@mk30 The 2026 vanilla bean harvest is lovely. Your local gardening exchanges must be crowded with vanilla bean enthusiasts. #growyourown
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It's vanilla bean harvest day! After growing vanilla vines in various places for various years and finally getting some flowers in a place I could reach (as opposed to high up in a tree), then hand-pollinating them with the right technique, then waiting for the pods to reach full size over a couple months, then letting the pods ripen on the vine for 9 months, they're finally ready to harvest!
I'll be using this thread to track the rest of the process.
So, how did I know when to harvest? According to this blog post: https://vanillery.com/ripe-green-vanilla-pods/ they are ready to harvest when the bottoms are yellow and just starting to crack. I've included pics below showing my pods this morning when I decided to harvest.
Pic 1: yellow on the bottom
Pic 2: yellow on bottom and just starting to split
Pic 3: further splitting, with seeds visible inside. I smelled this one at the place where it was opening, and it smelled fantastic - like vanilla.Next steps described in next posts...
1/
@mk30 and the vanilla hand pollination was invented by an enslaved Black boy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmond_Albius
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After patting the vanilla pods dry, I wrapped them in towels and packed them in an insulated cooler bag with a hot water bottle, wrapped in more towel.
This is the beginning of the "sweating" stage that lasts 10-14 days. The will spend evenings wrapped up with a hot water bottle in an insulated cooler bag, and they will spend daytime drying in the sun.
See process description here: https://www.kingson-foodtech.com/en/a4-11232-16797/The-Journey-of-Vanilla-Beans-Vanilla-Bean-Processing.html
And here: https://www.vanillapura.com/blogs/vanilla-extract-making-101/how-to-cure-vanilla-beans-at-home-a-step-by-step-guidePic 1: I wrapped the pods in their little towels, then packed them in an insulated cooler bag that was lined with a big folded towel.
Pic 2: I put a hot water bottle on top, wrapped it all up in the big towel, and zipped up the cooler bag.They will stay like this till tomorrow (I'll keep an eye on the water bottle and refill with hot water as necessary), then will set to sun dry during the daytime tomorrow.
3/
@mk30 given all the effort put into them it become honestly incredible that you can buy them for like three euros per bean
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After patting the vanilla pods dry, I wrapped them in towels and packed them in an insulated cooler bag with a hot water bottle, wrapped in more towel.
This is the beginning of the "sweating" stage that lasts 10-14 days. The will spend evenings wrapped up with a hot water bottle in an insulated cooler bag, and they will spend daytime drying in the sun.
See process description here: https://www.kingson-foodtech.com/en/a4-11232-16797/The-Journey-of-Vanilla-Beans-Vanilla-Bean-Processing.html
And here: https://www.vanillapura.com/blogs/vanilla-extract-making-101/how-to-cure-vanilla-beans-at-home-a-step-by-step-guidePic 1: I wrapped the pods in their little towels, then packed them in an insulated cooler bag that was lined with a big folded towel.
Pic 2: I put a hot water bottle on top, wrapped it all up in the big towel, and zipped up the cooler bag.They will stay like this till tomorrow (I'll keep an eye on the water bottle and refill with hot water as necessary), then will set to sun dry during the daytime tomorrow.
3/
@mk30 Holy cow, I learned a lot from this thread.
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@mk30 given all the effort put into them it become honestly incredible that you can buy them for like three euros per bean
@zuthal it's true 😔
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@mk30 that’s amazing, what is your grow zone?
I am also a tad jealous.@CatDragon I'm on the east side of Hawai'i Island in a tropical wet zone.
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@CatDragon I'm on the east side of Hawai'i Island in a tropical wet zone.
@mk30 hi from Maine. Definitely not tropical.
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