Where does Vanilla come from? How to grow your own Vanilla Beans.
❣️ Vanilla spice comes from Vanilla Orchid!
❣️ Vanilla planifolia is a leafy climbing orchid from hot, wet tropical America. It is grown for its pods which, when dried, become the commercial vanilla.
❣️ The flowers are
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❣️ The Aztec Indians in Mexico used Vanilla Pods to flavor their chocolate drink 'Xoco-latl'. Vanilla was believed to be a tonic for the brain.
❣️ Vanilla Pods are picked green when they have no scent. The lengthy curing process, which develops fragrant aroma, is one reason for its high cost.
❣️ Vanilla orchid needs a flat, solid, porous support for climbing and in order to flower and produce seed pods. It can be grown over a log or a board (make sure the support wood is not chemically treated), or climb over a tree.
❣️ If really happy, Vanilla orchid can exceed 100 feet in length in just a few years. The plants flower only when mature, which takes a few years. It only flowers when it gets strongly attached to a support with its aerial roots.
❣️Vanilla orchid can be grown indoors as a house plant. Culture is similar to traditional orchids, however, it will need a support or trellis. Just keep in mind that for Vanilla Bean production, Vanilla Orchid must attach to a porous surface (like a wood log).
🚶♀️Spending time in nature - even as little as 10 minutes - can yield short-term benefits for individuals with mental illness, according to a new study involving 1,492 participants with a diagnosed mental illness and 14,168 studies.
🚶♀️Just 10 minutes of walking, running, or exercising in nature has a positive effect.
🚶♀️The type of setting doesn’t matter - parks, mountains, forests, and farms all work.
🚶♀️Nature benefits people with mood disorders and stress the most.
So, lets go outside and touch some plants!
🐈 Are you looking forward to results of study where cats are involved?
What is a good exotic looking flowering plant for a shade garden?
Chrysothemis pulchella - Copper Leaf, Black Flamingo
🔥 What is a good exotic looking flowering plant for a shade garden?
🏀 One of the most unusual looking plants in or shade garden collection is Chrysothemis pulchella - Copper Leaf, Black Flamingo.
🏀 It is a spectacular tropical perennial that can be grown as a houseplant or in a greenhouse.
🏀 From summer to late fall it is covered with showy orange-red flowers, may bloom sporadically several times a year.
🏀 Forms a dense mountain of flowers and foliage.
🏀 The plant forms tubers at the base of the stem. By the end of fall the leaves may die back, the plant goes dormant till spring. Then it re-sprouts in Spring again.
Theobroma cacao, commonly known as the Chocolate Tree or Cacao Tree, is very exciting plant and a superfood as we mentioned earlier.
💥 Theobroma means "food of the gods" in Greek. "Theo" means god, and "broma" means food.
💥 The Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs were among the first to cultivate cacao, using it to make a bitter beverage called xocoatl. It was often spiced with chili peppers and used in various rituals and ceremonies.
💥 Currency: in ancient Mesoamerican cultures, cacao beans were so valuable that they were used as a form of currency. For example, 100 beans could buy a slave or a turkey.
💥 The Aztecs believed that cacao had stimulating properties and used it as an aphrodisiac. Emperor Montezuma was said to consume a large amount of cacao before visiting his harem. We can't deny that chocolate's mood-enhancing properties, combined with cultural and psychological factors, contribute to its romantic allure! ❤️
💥 A cacao pod contains 20 to 50 beans, each surrounded by a sweet, mucilaginous pulp. The pods grow directly on the trunk and larger branches of the tree, a feature known as cauliflory.
💥 After harvesting, cacao beans are fermented for several days, a critical step that develops the flavor precursors needed for chocolate production.
💥 The Cacao tree thrives in the humid, tropical regions around the equator. It can be grown as an exciting house plant.
💥 Health benefits: cacao beans are rich in antioxidants, magnesium, iron, and other minerals. They also contain flavonoids, associated with heart health benefits.
💥 There are three main varieties of cacao beans: Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario. Criollo is considered the highest quality but is less common due to its susceptibility to disease. Forastero is the most widely grown, known for its hardiness. Trinitario is a hybrid of the two.
💥 It takes about 400 cacao beans to make one pound of chocolate. The beans undergo roasting, grinding, and mixing with sugar and other ingredients to produce the final chocolate product.
