Nature Shop offers premium Certified Organic Vanilla pods and powder. We also provide, inorganic, 10 fold vanilla extract / oleoresin.

Synthetic Vanilla

Before we delve into natural vanilla, its important to recognise what constitutes synthetic vanilla. The information is provided from a newspaper article and is stored as a PDF document - Click here for information on Synthetic Vanilla. Synthetic vanilla is used in yogurts, creams, ice-cream and many other processed foods as well as in cosmetics - Nature Shop offers natural vanilla as a perfectly, natural, healthy alternative.

Simple ways to identify premium quality Vanilla Pods

		Length - should be over 150mm
		Width - in the centre, around 1 cm
		Vanillin content - > 2%
		Moisture Content - should not break if bend around the index finger
		Colour - Dark black or brown without discolourations
		Scratches - No cuts or scratches on the bean
		Aroma - Should have a strong smell of vanilla
		Moisture content - Should not appear dried out

About Vanilla

		Vanilla is the only edible fruit of the orchid family.
		Vanilla is the world's most labor-intensive agricultural crop.
		The fruits must remain on the vine for 9 months before being picked.
		They develop the flavour and fragrance only during the curing process.
		Under reasonable levels of management, Vanilla yields about 100 gms cured beans per plant which comes from India
		Vanilla is not only used as a flavor in foods and beverages, but also in perfumes.
		The variety of Vanilla offered by Nature Shop is Vanilla planifolia which
		Vanilla does not taste as good as it smells.
		Vanilla comes in pods, powder and extract (vanilla oleoresin) forms

Organic Vanilla Grades

Vanilla pod is graded based on a number of characteristics some of which includes length, blemishes on the pod, suppleness of the pod (moisture content) and Vanillin content. Vanilla grades normally go by alphabets such as A,B,C and grinding grade. Top quality beans (Grade A) are long, fleshy, supple, very dark brown to black in colour, somewhat oily in appearance, strongly aromatic and free from scars and blemishes. Low-quality beans are usually hard, dry, thin, brown or reddish-brown in colour and possess a poor aroma. The moisture content of top grade beans is high (25 to 35 per cent), whereas it may be as little as 10 per cent in the lower grades.

Nature Shop only supplies Grade A certified organic vanilla pods.

Documentary Video on Organic Vanilla Farming in India

Clicking on the adjoining video will start a short documentary movie on organic vanilla farming in India.

Using Certified Organic Vanilla pods

The entire bean is filled with flavor and in fact, the pod has more flavor than the seeds. You can cut the bean and use a portion at a time or you can use the whole bean, depending on the depth of flavor you wish. To cut open a bean, lay it flat on a cutting surface. Holding one end of the bean to the surface, carefully slice the bean open lengthwise. When you separate the bean, thousands of tiny seeds are exposed. By cutting the bean open before placing it in a liquid, more of the surface of the bean is exposed, and the greater the flavoring properties. You may choose to remove the seeds from the pod before using the bean.

Vanilla beans can usually be used several times depending on how strenuously you've used them. As an example, soaking the bean in cold liquids such as a beverage will still retain part of its flavour although the same may not be true if the bean is soaked in a hot creamy mixture.

Rinse and dry the bean pieces after using them. You can place them in a container covered with sugar or coffee to make a delicate vanilla flavoured ingredient. Beans that have been used once or twice can also be ground up and used to add additional flavor to ice creams, cookies, and many other foods.

Using Certified Organic Vanilla powder

Vanilla powder sold by Nature Shop is finely ground cured pods that has undergone a special drying process and contains no additives. Ground vanilla has an enticing aroma in food. As a powder it will not loose flavor when it is used in any food preparation that requires heat such as baking. Other uses of Vanilla powder

		It can also be sprinkled on ice cream
		It can be sprinkled on chocolate products
		It can be sprinkled on Coffee drinks for a distinct aroma

Storing Vanilla pods & powder

Vanilla pods will keep indefinitely in a cool, dark place in an airtight container. Don't refrigerate beans as this can cause them to harden and crystallize. In the humid conditions the beans are best wrapped in oiled or waxed paper and stored in tin boxes.

Vanilla powder should also be kept tightly-sealed, in a cool, dry place away from direct light and heat.

Inorganic Vanilla Extract

At present Nature Shop retails food grade, 10 fold inorganic vanilla extract/oleoresin. Vanilla extract is sometimes referred to as Vanilla Oil and is a tincture in alcohol. The strength of the vanillin content in the extract is referred "fold" as 2 fold, 4 fold etc.

Why buy Nature Shop's Vanilla

Our offer to you is for a full flavoured, high quality and certified organic Vanilla product of an exceptional quality at a competitive price. With our low overheads we can we can offer approximately two organic pods for the around the same retail price of 1 inorganic pod - based on current retail prices in Sydney, Australia. There are many different qualities of vanilla pods in the market - when you purchase any, look at its suppleness / moisture content - bend it around you index finger, it should not break, look for any blemishes in colour, scratches on the pod, ask for the vanillin content , look at the length and width of the pod We offer none of the negatives and a vanillin content > 2% - we guarantee the quality and richness of the spice.