Kevin Richards, age 9, of Camden, N.J., for his question:

WHERE DO WE GET VANILLA?

Vanilla is the name of a group of climbing orchids. From the fruit of the vanilla vine comes the extract which is used to flavor ice cream, pastry and candy. The vanilla vine has been cultivated in Mexico for hundreds of years. This type of vanilla has been introduced into other tropical areas. Madagascar, together with Reunion and the Comoro Islands, now produce over three fourths of the world's supply.

Another variety of vanilla grows on the island of Tahiti in the South Pacific Ocean.

The vanilla vine has little rootlets by which the plant attaches itself to trees. The cultivated plant lives about 10 years and produces its first crop after three years.

The vine produces a fruit in the shape of a cylindrical pod from five to 10 inches long. The pods are beans are gathered when they are a yellow green in color and they are then cured or dried until they turn a rich, chocolate brown color. The curing gives it the flavor and aroma of vanilla as we know it.

Vanilla extract is prepared by a complicated and expensive process in which the beans are chopped and then percolated with water and alcohol.