Vanilla is a versatile extract that brings flavor to a plethora of sweets -- from cookies and cakes to puddings and custards ...

Have you ever bought butter-flavored popcorn and wondered what, exactly, that butter flavoring is? And what about that butter extract you sometimes see in the baking aisle at the grocery store?

Vanilla extract can be used as flavouring in place of the real thing, but avoid using products marked ‘vanilla flavouring’, which lacks the true flavour and aroma of vanilla.

UF/IFAS researchers are investigating the economic potential of growing vanilla in Florida with the aim of establishing an alternative – and potentially lucrative – crop to oranges.