Yeah...

Good thing I always make my own vanilla extract! This liter ought to last me at least a couple weeks once it’s done infusing.

a thought

water should be free, housing should be free, food should be free, wheelchairs should be free, glasses should be free, hearing aids should be free, medicine should be free.

why should we have to work to pay for things that are absolutely necessary to our survival?

lol me @ 4:30am every morning going to classes

~ daily routine ~

Not even on purpose tho. We love a body with chronic pains ✌🏼

woke up and someone spilled vanilla extract all over my dash, so as punishment you strange little beasties are getting all the VANILLA FACTS i know:

vanilla is the 2nd most expensive spice in the world (2nd to saffron)

which is why more than 99% of what we call "vanilla extract" is actually vanillin (vanilla's dominant flavor compound) and is not extracted from real vanilla.

luckily, even professionals struggle to tell the difference when it comes to things like baked goods. but there is a distinct difference in non-heat treated products like vanilla ice cream. real vanilla has a more complex, individualized flavor profile.

why is vanilla so expensive? because it is a ridiculously delicate & demanding crop. complete primadonna.

vanilla beans come from vanilla orchids. these crazy flowers bloom for A SINGLE DAY and have to be HAND-POLLINATED in a process that is exhausting, delicate, and requires specialist knowledge passed down over generations.

then, if you're lucky, you get vanilla beans.

which then require months of further specialized treatment.

the entire process takes about a year and can go wrong at any stage

vanilla has been cultivated for over 800 years (possibly much longer). the first known cultivators are the Totonac, an indigenous people of Mexico.

the Aztecs used it as a sweetener to balance out the bitter taste of cocoa. it was popular in a drink called xocolatl--the precursor to modern hot chocolate!

it is only pollinated by a very specific orchid bee!!!

which is why no fruit could be grown outside of Mexico until the 1800s

Edmond Albius, born into slavery, invented the pollination method we still use today--launching a global industry when he was just 12 years old.

today, the majority of the world's vanilla is grown in Madagascar

if you want real vanilla, read the labels carefully--it's harder to find than you think!

in conclusion, those tiny black specks you see in fancy vanilla ice cream? those are vanilla bean seeds! itty bitty orchid seeds!!! they are delicious and also a PRISSY BITCH!

(src)

Hello I'm Izzy and I drowned in Dolorosa and Singless feels again aksjaksjakks

I wanted to save this for 413 but I'm really proud of how this thingy looks! So I'm working on something else for 413... For now, have this lil snippet of thoughts Karkat has when he's out shopping with his mom Kanaya

I will forever treasure the fact that the Vantas and the Maryams always have this mother/son love going on. It's the real definition of love that goes beyond quadrants imo.

💕 Ko-Fi

💕 Commissions: OPEN

Salt preserving a lemon lime mix! So excited! 🤩

Trans people are 4 times more likely to develop an ed than cis people yet still majority of surveys, movies, online spaces and treatment options is heavily centred around cis people while absolutely ignoring the existence of trans people. They don't care about us at all and it's so fuck1ng tiring.