Vanilla

PRODUCTION: Vanilla beans are extremely labor-intensive to produce. The blossom of each flower (a member of the orchid family) opens only one day per year and must be hand pollinated. After the hard green pods are harvested, they are briefly boiled and placed in the sun to dry. At night they are wrapped in blankets so they can sweat. This heating and sweating process is repeated for several months until the beans shrink substantially and take on their familiar dark brown color. Vanilla is primarily produced in Madagascar, Mexico, and Tahiti.