1. Agricultural and Horticultural Enterprises

3. Natural Resources and Environmental Quality

University of Florida scientists have found ethyl vanillin &#8212; an aroma compound in many artificial vanilla-flavored food products &#8212; in a UF/IFAS-bred strawberry. This is a key finding for the food and beverage industry and for the UF/IFAS strawberry breeding program. Vanilla beans contain the character-impact compound vanillin, which imparts vanilla flavor. Ethyl vanillin provides [&#8230;]

University of Florida scientists have found ethyl vanillin &#8212; an aroma compound in many artificial vanilla-flavored food products &#8212; in a UF/IFAS-bred strawberry.
This is a key finding for the food and beverage industry and for the UF/IFAS strawberry breeding program.
Vanilla beans contain the character-impact compound vanillin, which imparts vanilla flavor. Ethyl vanillin provides an even more powerful vanilla-like flavor. It is synthesized in labs and is one of the most widely used artificial flavors in the food, beverage, food supplements and pharmaceutical industries.
Finding ethyl vanillin in a strawberry may prove valuable for the flavor and food industries in the quest of offering consumers more natural flavors, said <a href="https://crec.ifas.ufl.edu/people/faculty/yu-wang/">Yu Wang, an associate professor of food science and human nutrition</a> at the <a href="https://crec.ifas.ufl.edu/">UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center</a>.
<figure id="attachment_40643" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-40643" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" class="size-medium wp-image-40643 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="300" height="200" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/files/2023/11/Vanilla-strawberries_Yu-Wang-in-lab_Courtesy-IFAS-photography_111423-300x200.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-40643" class="wp-caption-text">Yu Wang conducting research in a laboratory. Courtesy, UF/IFAS photography.</figcaption></figure>
“If restaurants and people cooking at home prefer their ingredients to be natural, they use vanilla extract,” said Wang, lead author of the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590157523003875?via%3Dihub">newly published study</a>. “They could also use artificial vanilla flavor, which might contain ethyl vanillin. It’s the same as when the flavor and food industries develop both natural and artificial flavors for the final food and beverage products, consumers have similar choices as well.”
In the new study, UF/IFAS scientists extracted 131 aroma compounds from the Medallion® strawberry, the UF/IFAS-bred variety that was commercialized in 2020. Both vanillin and ethyl vanillin were detected in the fruit.
<a href="https://gcrec.ifas.ufl.edu/gcrec-facultystaff-directory/vance-whitaker/">Vance Whitaker, a UF/IFAS professor of horticultural sciences</a> and a strawberry breeder, worked on the research, co-advising doctoral student Mark Porter with <a href="https://gcrec.ifas.ufl.edu/gcrec-facultystaff-directory/seonghee-lee/">Seonghee Lee, a UF/IFAS associate professor of horticultural sciences.</a> Wang also credited Xuebo Song, her post-doctoral researcher, for developing the analytical method by which scientists identified ethyl vanillin.
Scientists already knew that the Medallion® strawberry occasionally had a faint flavor of vanilla.
“I initially thought I was imagining it, but this research suggests I was not,” said Whitaker. He and Lee are faculty members at the <a href="https://gcrec.ifas.ufl.edu/">UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center</a>. “Medallion® would have great flavor, even without these two compounds &#8212; vanillin and ethyl vanillin &#8212; due to its high sugars and all the other aroma compounds. But the fact that strawberries can have a vanilla flavor is cool, and the fact that Medallion® has this makes it even more of a premium strawberry.”
Whitaker called attention to Porter’s Ph.D. research as part of an effort to understand the genetic control behind the most important strawberry aroma compounds.
“Ultimately, this feeds into the breeding program to make the flavor of our new varieties even better,” Whitaker said. “Right now, ethyl vanillin is not the most important compound impacting strawberry flavor, but this research allows us now to try to increase both vanillin and ethyl vanillin it in future varieties, to perhaps create a strawberry that has a clear and consistent vanilla flavor note.”
###
ABOUT UF/IFAS 
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. 
<a href="http://www.ifas.ufl.edu/">ifas.ufl.edu</a>  |  <a href="https://twitter.com/UF_IFAS">@UF_IFAS</a>
WHY FOOD IS OUR MIDDLE NAME 
Feeding a hungry world takes effort. Nearly everything we do comes back to food: from growing it and getting it to consumers, to conserving natural resources and supporting agricultural efforts. Explore all the reasons why at <a href="https://ifas.ufl.edu/food/">ifas.ufl.edu/food</a> or follow <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23FoodIsOurMiddleName&amp;src=typed_query">#FoodIsOurMiddleName</a>.
[altmetric doi=&#8221;10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100944&#8243; details=&#8221;right]
 
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University of Florida scientists have found ethyl vanillin — an aroma compound in many artificial vanilla-flavored food products — in a UF/IFAS-bred strawberry.
This is a key finding for the food and beverage industry and for the UF/IFAS strawberry breeding program.
Vanilla beans contain the character-impact compound vanillin, which imparts vanilla flavor. Ethyl vanillin provides an even more powerful vanilla-like flavor. It is synthesized in labs and is one of the most widely used artificial flavors in the food, beverage, food supplements and pharmaceutical industries.
Finding ethyl vanillin in a strawberry may prove valuable for the flavor and food industries in the quest of offering consumers more natural flavors, said Yu Wang, an associate professor of food science and human nutrition at the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center.
Yu Wang conducting research in a laboratory. Courtesy, UF/IFAS photography.
“If restaurants and people cooking at home prefer their ingredients to be natural, they use vanilla extract,” said Wang, lead author of the newly published study. “They could also use artificial vanilla flavor, which might contain ethyl vanillin. It’s the same as when the flavor and food industries develop both natural and artificial flavors for the final food and beverage products, consumers have similar choices as well.”
In the new study, UF/IFAS scientists extracted 131 aroma compounds from the Medallion® strawberry, the UF/IFAS-bred variety that was commercialized in 2020. Both vanillin and ethyl vanillin were detected in the fruit.
Vance Whitaker, a UF/IFAS professor of horticultural sciences and a strawberry breeder, worked on the research, co-advising doctoral student Mark Porter with Seonghee Lee, a UF/IFAS associate professor of horticultural sciences. Wang also credited Xuebo Song, her post-doctoral researcher, for developing the analytical method by which scientists identified ethyl vanillin.
Scientists already knew that the Medallion® strawberry occasionally had a faint flavor of vanilla.
“I initially thought I was imagining it, but this research suggests I was not,” said Whitaker. He and Lee are faculty members at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. “Medallion® would have great flavor, even without these two compounds — vanillin and ethyl vanillin — due to its high sugars and all the other aroma compounds. But the fact that strawberries can have a vanilla flavor is cool, and the fact that Medallion® has this makes it even more of a premium strawberry.”
Whitaker called attention to Porter’s Ph.D. research as part of an effort to understand the genetic control behind the most important strawberry aroma compounds.
“Ultimately, this feeds into the breeding program to make the flavor of our new varieties even better,” Whitaker said. “Right now, ethyl vanillin is not the most important compound impacting strawberry flavor, but this research allows us now to try to increase both vanillin and ethyl vanillin it in future varieties, to perhaps create a strawberry that has a clear and consistent vanilla flavor note.”
###
ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. 
ifas.ufl.edu  |  @UF_IFAS
WHY FOOD IS OUR MIDDLE NAME
Feeding a hungry world takes effort. Nearly everything we do comes back to food: from growing it and getting it to consumers, to conserving natural resources and supporting agricultural efforts. Explore all the reasons why at ifas.ufl.edu/food or follow #FoodIsOurMiddleName.
[altmetric doi=”10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100944″ details=”right]

University of Florida scientists have found ethyl vanillin — an aroma compound in many artificial vanilla-flavored food products — in a UF/IFAS-bred strawberry. This is a key finding for the food and beverage industry and for the UF/IFAS strawberry breeding program. Vanilla beans contain the character-impact compound vanillin, which imparts vanilla flavor. Ethyl vanillin provides […]

It’s a first: UF scientists find ethyl vanillin in a UF/IFAS-bred strawberry

Vanilla takes the crown as the second most valuable spice (after saffron) and the world’s most popular flavor among consumers. Now, University of Florida researchers in Homestead are on the verge of developing a domestic vanilla industry, poised to transform agriculture in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for interested small growers and investors. Thanks [&#8230;]

<figure id="attachment_39293" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39293" style="width: 458px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-39293 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="458" height="305" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/files/2023/08/Xingbo-Wu-Vanilla-PI-300x200.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39293" class="wp-caption-text">Xingbo Wu is a plant breeder and geneticist at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center. The shade house contains thousands of yards of vanilla vines at the Homestead campus.</figcaption></figure>
Vanilla takes the crown as the second most valuable spice (after saffron) and the world’s most popular flavor among consumers.
Now, University of Florida researchers in Homestead are on the verge of developing a domestic vanilla industry, poised to transform agriculture in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for interested small growers and investors.
Thanks to nearly $400,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (USDA-SSARE) program, scientists at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) can now pick up the pace on the most critical phase of an ongoing vanilla-breeding program blooming since 2017.
This research stage is key because it will identify varieties with high yields, disease resistance, high vanilla content and nutrients in plants to develop the best fertilizer recommendations. Scientists will also identify potential plant pollinators, while working with growers.
“Vanilla is a highly profitable crop with cured beans, worth $250 to $600 a kilogram,” said <a href="https://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/people/xingbo-wu/">Xingbo Wu</a>, a plant breeder and geneticist at the <a href="https://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/">UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center</a>. “With appropriate plant material and production guidance, we can maximize the return on investment in domesticated vanilla production.”
Madagascar leads the world in vanilla production, supplying more than 80% of the world’s vanilla, while Indonesia, Uganda, India, Comoros, Mexico and other countries significantly contribute to global production. Global supply of vanilla extract originates with cured beans from the tropical orchid species Vanilla planifolia. The United States is the biggest importer of vanilla beans from Madagascar, and once in America, those beans are processed into vanilla extract.
<figure id="attachment_39297" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39297" style="width: 487px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-39297 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="" width="487" height="237" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/files/2023/08/20191107_112211-flower--300x146.jpg"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39297" class="wp-caption-text">Global supply of vanilla extract originates with cured beans from the tropical orchid species Vanilla planifolia.</figcaption></figure>
We calculate the United States could be the fifth largest vanilla producer globally with 140 to 670 acres devoted to this specialty crop,” said Wu. “Our goal is to determine the best vanilla material and efficient production management of growing vanilla in southern Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, disseminate this information to all potential growers and guide the vanilla breeding projects.”
Wu and his team will analyze light and nutrient requirements for maximum vanilla production and determine the appropriate environment settings for vanilla cultivation with collaborative growers from different geographic regions. They are also exploring ways to pollinate vanilla plants, which are traditionally labor-intensive. Due to the unique reproductive structure of the flower, vanilla plants are pollinated by hand.
In the project, scientists want to move past vanilla production’s long history of supply chain challenges.
“The emerging domestic vanilla market requires a supply chain to move the product efficiently from farm to end users,” said Wu. “This project was designed to overcome these challenges and could have major impacts on productivity, profitability and rural communities.”
Growing vanilla beans presents many benefits and can support growers in these focus areas who are striving to meet an evolving consumer base that favors local, organic and natural vanilla products, said Wu.
Vanilla also encourages agroforestry and sustainability because it grows in shade and is often cultivated in an agroforestry setting.
“This natural habitat, combined with the beauty and exoticism of the plant, makes it attractive for agrotourism, providing a potential additional source of revenue for vanilla farmers and nearby rural communities,” he said.
Wu is working with six farmers in the Homestead area and hopes to increase that number.
“These existing growers are at different stages that include well-established farms already with high-quality bean production,” he said. “Several growers already have healthy growing vanilla crops with potential bean production in the next three years, and many growers just getting started.”
By Lourdes Mederos, <a href="mailto:rodriguezl@ufl.edu">rodriguezl@ufl.edu</a>
<a href="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/2023/09/05/un-grupo-de-investigadores-de-uf-ifas-esta-a-punto-de-desarrollar-una-industria-nacional-para-una-de-las-especias-mas-valiosas-del-mundo/">Para accesar a esta comunicación en español, por favor utilice este enlace. </a>
###
ABOUT UF/IFAS 
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. 
<a href="http://www.ifas.ufl.edu">ifas.ufl.edu</a>  |  <a href="https://twitter.com/UF_IFAS">@UF_IFAS</a>
 
WHY FOOD IS OUR MIDDLE NAME 
Feeding a hungry world takes effort. Nearly everything we do comes back to food: from growing it and getting it to consumers, to conserving natural resources and supporting agricultural efforts. Explore all the reasons why at <a href="https://ifas.ufl.edu/food/">ifas.ufl.edu/food</a> or follow <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23FoodIsOurMiddleName&amp;src=typed_query">#FoodIsOurMiddleName</a>.

Xingbo Wu is a plant breeder and geneticist at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center. The shade house contains thousands of yards of vanilla vines at the Homestead campus.
Vanilla takes the crown as the second most valuable spice (after saffron) and the world’s most popular flavor among consumers.
Now, University of Florida researchers in Homestead are on the verge of developing a domestic vanilla industry, poised to transform agriculture in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for interested small growers and investors.
Thanks to nearly $400,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (USDA-SSARE) program, scientists at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) can now pick up the pace on the most critical phase of an ongoing vanilla-breeding program blooming since 2017.
This research stage is key because it will identify varieties with high yields, disease resistance, high vanilla content and nutrients in plants to develop the best fertilizer recommendations. Scientists will also identify potential plant pollinators, while working with growers.
“Vanilla is a highly profitable crop with cured beans, worth $250 to $600 a kilogram,” said Xingbo Wu, a plant breeder and geneticist at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center. “With appropriate plant material and production guidance, we can maximize the return on investment in domesticated vanilla production.”
Madagascar leads the world in vanilla production, supplying more than 80% of the world’s vanilla, while Indonesia, Uganda, India, Comoros, Mexico and other countries significantly contribute to global production. Global supply of vanilla extract originates with cured beans from the tropical orchid species Vanilla planifolia. The United States is the biggest importer of vanilla beans from Madagascar, and once in America, those beans are processed into vanilla extract.
Global supply of vanilla extract originates with cured beans from the tropical orchid species Vanilla planifolia.
We calculate the United States could be the fifth largest vanilla producer globally with 140 to 670 acres devoted to this specialty crop,” said Wu. “Our goal is to determine the best vanilla material and efficient production management of growing vanilla in southern Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, disseminate this information to all potential growers and guide the vanilla breeding projects.”
Wu and his team will analyze light and nutrient requirements for maximum vanilla production and determine the appropriate environment settings for vanilla cultivation with collaborative growers from different geographic regions. They are also exploring ways to pollinate vanilla plants, which are traditionally labor-intensive. Due to the unique reproductive structure of the flower, vanilla plants are pollinated by hand.
In the project, scientists want to move past vanilla production’s long history of supply chain challenges.
“The emerging domestic vanilla market requires a supply chain to move the product efficiently from farm to end users,” said Wu. “This project was designed to overcome these challenges and could have major impacts on productivity, profitability and rural communities.”
Growing vanilla beans presents many benefits and can support growers in these focus areas who are striving to meet an evolving consumer base that favors local, organic and natural vanilla products, said Wu.
Vanilla also encourages agroforestry and sustainability because it grows in shade and is often cultivated in an agroforestry setting.
“This natural habitat, combined with the beauty and exoticism of the plant, makes it attractive for agrotourism, providing a potential additional source of revenue for vanilla farmers and nearby rural communities,” he said.
Wu is working with six farmers in the Homestead area and hopes to increase that number.
“These existing growers are at different stages that include well-established farms already with high-quality bean production,” he said. “Several growers already have healthy growing vanilla crops with potential bean production in the next three years, and many growers just getting started.”
By Lourdes Mederos, rodriguezl@ufl.edu
Para accesar a esta comunicación en español, por favor utilice este enlace. 
###
ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. 
ifas.ufl.edu  |  @UF_IFAS
 
WHY FOOD IS OUR MIDDLE NAME
Feeding a hungry world takes effort. Nearly everything we do comes back to food: from growing it and getting it to consumers, to conserving natural resources and supporting agricultural efforts. Explore all the reasons why at ifas.ufl.edu/food or follow #FoodIsOurMiddleName.

Vanilla takes the crown as the second most valuable spice (after saffron) and the world’s most popular flavor among consumers. Now, University of Florida researchers in Homestead are on the verge of developing a domestic vanilla industry, poised to transform agriculture in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for interested small growers and investors. Thanks […]

UF/IFAS research: On the verge of developing a domestic industry for one of the world’s most valuable spices

Are you bored with the usual tired Valentine&#8217;s options like boxed bonbons and odorless hothouse flowers? This year seek out some unique, Florida-centric Valentines fun! For an extravagant, supremely romantic (yet not too expensive) gift, you could get your sweetheart a vanilla vine. Vanilla is just now being grown in Florida. Like love and friendship, [&#8230;]

Are you bored with the usual tired Valentine&#8217;s options like boxed bonbons and odorless hothouse flowers? This year seek out some unique, Florida-centric Valentines fun!
For an extravagant, supremely romantic (yet not too expensive) gift, you could get your sweetheart <a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1348">a vanilla vine</a>. Vanilla is just now being grown in Florida. Like love and friendship, vanilla plants take warmth and attention and a lot of careful nurturing to flower and achieve their full potential.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-3243 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="photos of flowers of V. planifolia (top left), V. pompona (top center), V. phaeantha (top right), V. mexicana (bottom left), V. dilloniana (bottom center), and V. barbellata (bottom right) growing in southern Florida." width="300" height="202" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/edis/files/2023/02/vanilla-orchids-blogpic-300x202.jpg">
Go for <a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW206">a walk in the woods</a> or a <a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/entity/topic/lakes_and_ponds">paddle on a lake</a>.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1298 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="Photo of planted pines at sunrise in north central Florida. UF/IFAS Photo: Thomas Wright" width="300" height="199" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/edis/files/2021/05/hurricane-trees-blog-image-1-5-31-2021-300x199.jpg">
And for dessert? How about a sweet treat made with beautiful, delicious <a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS403">Florida strawberries?</a> (Not feeling adventurous and don&#8217;t want to fire up the oven when it&#8217;s 85 in the shade? That is not a problem. You pretty much can&#8217;t improve on a bowl of fresh strawberries.)
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-3245 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="photo of strawberries in a bowlon a counter with a Valentines Day towel. Photo taken 02-05-21." width="200" height="300" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/edis/files/2023/02/bowl-of-berries-200x300.jpg">
No special somebody this year or special somebody far away? Still not a problem! February is the perfect month for a second &#8220;Friendsgiving,&#8221; especially in Florida, where the weather is starting to warm and delicious things are starting to grow. Take a trip to the <a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FS302">farmers&#8217; market</a> for supplies and then get together with good friends for a Valentines picnic with Florida produce.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-2735 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" alt="Photo of a picnic including peppers, blueberries and blueberry pie, strawberries and strawberry shortcake, oranges and orange juice, peanuts and a peanut butter sandwich, and sliced mangoes and kiwis. Most of these crops rely on bee pollination." width="300" height="196" data-src="https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/edis/files/2022/06/bee-pollinated-foods-300x196.jpg">
Consult <a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/">Ask IFAS</a> for more ideas, and have a wonderful February 14th!

Are you bored with the usual tired Valentine’s options like boxed bonbons and odorless hothouse flowers? This year seek out some unique, Florida-centric Valentines fun!
For an extravagant, supremely romantic (yet not too expensive) gift, you could get your sweetheart a vanilla vine. Vanilla is just now being grown in Florida. Like love and friendship, vanilla plants take warmth and attention and a lot of careful nurturing to flower and achieve their full potential.

Go for a walk in the woods or a paddle on a lake.

And for dessert? How about a sweet treat made with beautiful, delicious Florida strawberries? (Not feeling adventurous and don’t want to fire up the oven when it’s 85 in the shade? That is not a problem. You pretty much can’t improve on a bowl of fresh strawberries.)

No special somebody this year or special somebody far away? Still not a problem! February is the perfect month for a second “Friendsgiving,” especially in Florida, where the weather is starting to warm and delicious things are starting to grow. Take a trip to the farmers’ market for supplies and then get together with good friends for a Valentines picnic with Florida produce.

Consult Ask IFAS for more ideas, and have a wonderful February 14th!

Are you bored with the usual tired Valentine’s options like boxed bonbons and odorless hothouse flowers? This year seek out some unique, Florida-centric Valentines fun! For an extravagant, supremely romantic (yet not too expensive) gift, you could get your sweetheart a vanilla vine. Vanilla is just now being grown in Florida. Like love and friendship, […]

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It’s a first: UF scientists find ethyl vanillin in a UF/IFAS-bred strawberry

UF/IFAS research: On the verge of developing a domestic industry for one of the world’s most valuable spices

Florida-centered Valentines Day ideas

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