Wild Vanilla: Australian vanilla grown in the rainforest in FNQ

Welcome to Episode 31 of Quirky Cooking Chats (Season 2), with Jo Whitton: Wild Vanilla - Australian vanilla, grown in the rainforest in FNQ

Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TyzsFmBZjbY

Nestled into the rainforest on the picturesque southern end of the Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland, is a very special farm. As you walk down the track from the house, sunlight flickers through the trees and the sound of rainforest birds and cicadas grows louder until it feels like you are immersed in tropical 'surround sound'. There under the rainforest canopy are row after row of lush vanilla vines, propped up by poles and trellises so that the flowers (or beans, depending on the time of year) are easy to access.

As you wander along the rows you may see birds and butterflies flitting about, small spiders dangling from fine threads, busy insects... and a cute puppy bouncing along after the owners and their children. This is an organic, family-owned vanilla plantation, so insects, butterflies, puppies and children are all welcome!

Join Jo as she visits the beautiful Wild Vanilla plantation, owned by her friend Bek and Bek's dad, brother, and their families. Jo's daughter India works as farm manager and enjoys the peace and quiet of spending her mornings amongst the vines and flowers in the rainforest. And Jo loves Wild Vanilla powder and beans so much she now sells them in her online store! (quirkycooking.com.au/shop)

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• the intricate process needed to produce vanilla that is of a consistently high standard
• the process of hand-pollinating the vanilla flowers
• how premium-quality vanilla powder is produced
• the time, effort and love that goes into farming vanilla organically
• and some tips from Bek on how to use vanilla in your cooking - both sweet and savoury!

Bek has promised to share the recipe for Vanilla Coconut Panna Cotta with Berry Coulis (seen in this video), so keep an eye on Jo's blog (www.quirkycooking.com.au) and social media (@jowhitton on Instagram and @quirkycooking on Facebook)!

You can find Wild Vanilla on Facebook and Instagram (@wildvanillafnq) and their website will be up soon.

Bek is also well-known as the founder of Once A Term Cooking - a community where you can learn to meal plan and meal prep for 3 months at a time! (Bek is a teacher as well as a busy mum and business owner, so school-holiday meal prep has been a game changer for her.) Find Once A Term Cooking on Facebook and Instagram, and listen in to a past podcast where Jo interviewed Bek about this fascinating way of preparing ahead for a busy term: https://youtu.be/B3g9Z6vXntQ

You will find lots of recipe ideas and tips at www.quirkycooking.com.au.