It is the sweet, dreamy, warm scent of baking. Check your cabinets; you may have vanilla extract in the house from the last time you made a batch of cookies. Vanilla essential is slightly different from that vanilla extract, although they do come from the same place. Vanilla plantifolia is a climbing orchid with white or yellow-green flowers that is grown in Central America, Mexico, East Africa, and Indonesia — but the plant itself does not contain the essential oil. The oil comes from the vanilla beans: long, green pods filled with tiny seeds. The pods are fermented over the … Continue reading →