| Good luck! These are not easily found, but you could ask your nursery to try to hunt one of each up for you. For the pepper, do try and find a fairly advanced plant. The following information might be helpful to you in explaining why! Propagate by seed or by cuttings. Needs plenty of water, shade and heat. It takes 3-4 years before the first fruit can be harvested. Plants are most productive when about 8 years old, but will continue bearing for up to 30 years. The plant needs a support such as a trellis. It will grow well when its roots are waterlogged, and is suitable for planting near a pond. Harvesting: For black peppercorns, harvest the berries before they are fully ripe, when they are still green, then dry. For white peppercorns, berries should be picked once they are fully ripe, and the red outer shell removed, leaving a grey-white kernel. Green peppercorns can be preserved in brine before drying. If you live in a reasonably cool area, you might have more luck finding the Tasmanian Mountain Pepper, or Dorrigo Pepper (Tasmannia spp). And the following information on vanilla should explain why you can't use processed vanilla pods for propagating, and why they are so expensive: Propagate by single node shoot cuttings 60-100cm long, taken in spring. Take cuttings from parts of the plant that have not previously produced fruit. Remove the bottom 3-4 leaves at the node and leave in a shady place for about 1 week. Plant close to a strong support structure such as a pergola or tree, making sure that the basal cut end portion of the cutting is kept just above the soil surface. Gently tie the top end of the cutting to the support. Cuttings take 4-8 weeks to strike roots. Grow in an area which provides 50% shade. It needs high moisture, high humidity, shelter from strong wind, and excellent drainage. A raised bed is recommended. Grows best where temperatures are a constant 25-32C. Soil should be loose and friable and a high content of organic matter. Mulch well around the base of the plants, and fertilise regularly during the growing season. Nip out the tips occasionally to encourage more shoots. Flowering commences in the third summer after planting, after which it occurs every year. After fruiting, the old stems and weak branches should be pruned off. Pollination: Pollination should be done by hand in the morning on which a flower is fully open. Work with a sharpened toothpick. You will note that the anther (pollen-bearing structure) hangs over the stigma (sticky receptacle), but there is a flap between the two. Remove the pollen-bearing portion and place it on the stigma. In a few days, you should see an enlargement of the pod. If not, the old flower wilts and drops off. Fruit will reach full size in 5-6 weeks, but 9-11 months to mature. Over-pollination will weaken the plant. Only the flowers on the lower side of the raceme are pollinated in order that the fruits may hang perpendicularly to produce straight beans. When the desired number of fruits has set, remove the remaining buds by clipping off the tip of the inflorescence. Damaged and malformed capsules should also be removed during growth. Harvesting: Immature fruit is dark green in colour. Harvest when they are pale yellow at the distal end. Once they turn fully yellow and start splitting, quality is reduced. Curing is done by blanching in boiling water for two minutes. Place pods on a drying surface, such as a wool fabric, in the morning sun. At noon, roll them in the wool, permitting them to sweat. Place in an airtight jar overnight. Repeat the same procedure until pods become brown and have the vanilla fragrance, about 20-25 days. Discard any beans that become mouldy. Help prevent mould by rubbing the beans dry with a cotton cloth each day. A perfectly dried pod should be able to be twisted onto the fingers. Wrap dried pods in cellophane or greaseproof paper and store in an airtight container to develop fullest flavour and aroma. To Make Vanilla Extract: Percolate alcohol and water through the chopped, cured beans, in a similar way to making coffee. |
