Madagascar: the home of Vanilla planifolia, otherwise known as the vanilla plant. It is here that our nut artisans (Grand Nutmasters, as they were,) fresh off their ten-year training regimen, venture to harvest the sacred fruit of this rare orchid – the vanilla bean. It takes a months-long journey by sea to this island nation, off the coast of Mozambique, for the simple yet complex task of harvesting the vanilla bean. The vanilla orchid only blooms for a couple days each year, during which time the vanilla beans are at the freshest they will ever be. There are no precursors for a good vanilla bean harvest. All it takes for a reasonable turnout is luck, hope, and prayer. Facing a perilous journey and precarious odds, our Nutmasters get to work and harvest every single bean that goes into every batch of vanilla Neurodivergent Nuts – by hand. The work is tough, the heat is scorching, and the hours are long and slow. After a few days, the work is done and paid for in pints of sweat. Our Nutmasters return to their ship (the S. S. Dinker) and place the vanilla beans to dry out during the long voyage back home. When they finally arrive months later, the beans are fully ripened and ready to be split and seeded. This brown, caviar-like substance, which is equivalent only the purest gold, is mixed with the finest almonds and sugar that we can buy from the store. We would voyage for these items too, but the trip to and from Madagascar absolutely guts our budget for anything else adventurous. So there.
