With holiday baking season upon us, it’s time to stock up on vanilla extract. Consider Hawaiian Vanilla Co. extract, made from vanilla beans grown in Hawaii. Headquartered in Paauilo on Hawaii island, the Reddekopp family has been cultivating vanilla since 1989, the only commercial vanilla farm in the U.S.

Vanilla comes from vanilla planifolia, a celadon-colored orchid plant that bears an edible pod if it is properly pollinated, usually by hand, during the few hours that the orchid blossoms.

After eight to nine months the pod matures and then must be carefully cured over a period of three to six months to coax out the rich, sweet, fragrant essence we know as vanilla. Then the beans must be chopped and macerated in an alcohol-and-water solution to produce the extract.

Pure vanilla extract, the clear, brown fragrant liquid we love, must meet certain standards to be labeled as such.

Imitation vanilla is just that, made of artificial flavorings and paper industry byproducts. The words "vanilla flavoring" indicates a blend of pure and imitation flavorings.

When a label says vanilla as in vanilla ice cream, it is made with pure vanilla extract and/or vanilla beans.

Vanilla is hardly "plain or simple," but rather a unique flavoring that highlights other flavors both sweet and savory. Look for pure vanilla extract — grown in Hawaii — for your holiday goodies at specialty stores and farmers markets. For more information go to www.hawaiianvanilla.com.

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Hawaii food writer Joan Namkoong offers a weekly tidbit on fresh seasonal products, many of them locally grown.