Shrubs and bulbs is right. Growing orchids from seed requires flask culture, very sterile conditions, etc. It would probably be easier--and faster--to simply buy a vanilla orchid. I don't know what the exact number is for the vanilla orchid (vanilla planifolia), but orchids can take up to 5-7 years to bloom from seed. Also, once you get vanilla pods, I've read it can be a real chore to get them to the point where they can be used for culinary purposes. Good luck, though!

I orderd mine online from BURPEE. As far as I know you have to order them,I have never seen them in a store.Fortex is a bit more exspensive than others.

Don't get me wrong - we adore Peet's, but their specialty has always been dark-roasted coffees. We get the French or Italian in a just-up-from-powdered-Turkish grind, brewed through Chemex filters. I long ago broke the Chemex glass pot and realized it's the filters and the cone shape that make the difference. A cheap plastic cone works just as well, but the Chemex bonded filters are a must. Compare side-by-side with a paper filter and you can tell the difference immediately. We filter into a vaccuum pot if we're not going to drink it right away; it holds it very well for about 4-5 hours. On the Left Coast we are passionate about coffee and Starbucks fans are regarded with smirks. As you enjoy medium roasts with a lower acidity than dark roasted coffees - and many people do, I do myself on occasion - I'm wondering if you have tried the national brands of Chock Full o'Nuts (which ranked quite high in a Fine Cooking taste test a few years ago) and....Dunkin' Donuts. DD is making big ripples in the San Francisco Bay Area with a report by a Millennial blogsite that was just published yesterday. They included DD for a joke in a taste test against three of the highest-regarded new artisanal coffee roasters (so new they are post-Blue Bottle, who has gone from coffee cart to Establishment specialty in less than 3 yrs). DD came in second - no small feat! I've had all three artisanal coffees, and they're very good indeed. The short column from Eater SF is linked below. (btw, PS to johnliu - we loved Stumptown on our 2010 swing through the PNW. Have heard good things about Catahoula in Richmond. Do you have access to Highwire in Oakland? They're doing some good blends over there) Here is a link that might be useful: DD embarrasses Bay Area foodies

You may want to try several varieties of vanilla beans and be your own judge. The first time I ordered them I got Tahitian vanilla beans. They were the most fragrant beans I'd ever used; but because they are a fruit they are subject to weather and other conditions that will make its mark on each harvest so one time one variety is great and the next time maybe not so great. I've made a variety of "vanillas", not only from a variety of beans but a variety of alcohol. Cherry vodka vanilla was a favorite used in chocolate pudding because chocolate and cherries are a good combination. Spiced rum vanilla was great in vanilla ice cream. So have fun with the project. I got my vanilla on e-Bay from Mr. Bean who sold a wide variety of vanilla beans - lovely big, fresh, plump, beans (not those dinky dehydrated things you get elsewhere and are charged a small fortune for) and I got enough to make 3-4 different bottles of homemade vanilla. They made nice gifts to some of my baking buddies. Grainlady Tip: Leave one or two beans long in your bottle - long enough you can fish it back out. You can remove it and strip the extra rich vanilla from the bean. How to: while holding one end of the bean between your index finger and thumb, "milk" the vanilla bean with your other index finger and thumb from the top of the bean to the bottom, pulling out a thick brown liquid. Put the bean back into the bottle and use it this way several times when you want a richer flavoring. -Grainlady