All summer we have been asked if we can get good quality vanilla beans. Well, the plantations have been in a vanilla bean grower's slump for the past 3 years. The crops in Madagascar ( the worlds leading producer of Bourbon type beans) have been down by huge percentages for many reasons, including political turmoil within the region. Demand has exceeded supply and quality has suffered from that region. As a result, the price of vanilla has gone up considerably.
I recently went into the local grocery stores to see what the large spice dealers are doing about the shortage. I could not believe the dried out dead beans they are putting in their bottles, some bottles containing only one completely dried out bean at a cost of over $8.00 for a single pitiful bean. I immediately understood the root of the many requests we have received.
Ham Towne Spicery has many customers that are serious home cooks and professional chefs that appreciate the high quality of our organic grown hand-selected herbs that are direct from our grower's coops. Knowing that our member's owned coop gives us first dibs on all of our producer's crops, we went to work to try and find a grower to get the best possible beans at the best possible prices to pass on to our customers.
WE FOUND THEM IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
We just received a limited supply of plump, oily delicious beans grown in Papua New Guinea. They are beautiful, oily Vanilla Beans that are fragrant and plump. They are like nothing that you will find at the grocery store. If you have only ever used grocery store purchased vanilla beans, you won't believe the quality of our New Guinea Beans. BEST OF ALL ! We have made these beans available at a lower cost then the dried up brittle virtually seedless beans of the big name brands (Recognize the brand in the picture below?). You will love them for making vanilla extracts, cold desserts, ice cream, custards and many recipe that calls for fresh vanilla. Their scent is of cherry, oak, and floral notes.
You will get 3 plump beans in a bottle that doubles as the perfect extract maker, and it just keeps giving (Instructions on the side of label).
So, even if you don't use a lot of fresh beans think of the savings over the cost of inferior vanilla extract bottles at $4-$6 a fluid ounce you can make 4 oz of wonderful extract in the bottle that can be replenished with Alcohol over and over again.
THE COST OF OUR GRADE "A" ORGANIC BEANS
The store bought bean below (on the green spoon) costs over seven dollars for one bean that is dried beyond belief, brittle thin, short, and with a pitiful amount of seeds. Ham Towne Spicery will give you three beans plump, oily, and full with seeds. 4 oz corked bottle, perfect for making your own Vanilla extract.
WE HAVE A LIMITED SUPPLY THIS WEEK
