Vanilla is the bean of a climbing orchid (the only fruit-bearing member of the orchid family) and vanilla beans are usually hand-pollinated and grown on family plantations where the cultivation process can take as long as 6 years (it is harvested just once a year). It is the beans, which are dark brown, long and thin, that hold the flavor of the vanilla plant. When first picked, they have no fragrance or taste but after the process of drying and curing they develop the unmistakable aroma that we associate with vanilla.