A Note On Vanilla Extract

In my last blog, I brought up the subject of food and all of the things you can make yourself. Why? Well, to save money, of course! Along with saving money, making your own is  healthier, tastier and better on our environment. But before I get into a long lecture about saving our planet, I should probably go ahead and talk about today's topic - vanilla extract.

I am sure you have gone to the grocery store and bought vanilla extract from time to time. Even if you don't bake often, I'm sure you've at least bought some vanilla around the holidays when we stuff our bellies with delicious cookies, pies and the like. Vanilla extract (the real stuff, not imitation) runs around 4-8 dollars for an itty bitty teeny tiny bottle of the stuff. Even the imitation vanilla is high, as horrible as that stuff is.
But no longer do you have to deny yourself the deliciousness of the vanilla bean! Making vanilla extract is extremely simple and inexpensive, and it yields stellar results!

Firstly, we'll discuss the ingredients.
One thing I have learned is to be careful where I buy things. For instance, if you go to your local grocery store you might pay around $8-10 for about 3 or 4 vanilla beans. Ouch! Don't buy them there! Here is what I did, I went to Ebay, typed in vanilla beans and found a wide array of results. Yes, you can order vanilla beans from Ebay.
Food Connoisseurs would argue about the origin of the bean, for example, Madagascar vanilla beans are better than , say Tahitian vanilla beans. But, vanilla beans of any type would work. I pay about $4 for a dozen Tahitian beans off of Ebay - shipping included - they come fresh, juicy and sealed airtight, and they make outstanding vanilla extract.

The next ingredient you need is bourbon. Now, this ingredient has a greater demand for quality than the vanilla beans. All you'll need is a pint (for 6 of the vanilla beans) and it doesn't have to be top of the line bourbon. But, of course, with the bourbon quality does make a difference, so buy the best you can afford. Even with the 'good stuff' a pint won't cost too much.

And... well, that's it. Bourbon and vanilla beans. I told you it was easy. So, now you get a pint jar and make sure it is clean. Get 6 vanilla beans and, with a knife, cut all along the length of the pod, from end to end, to open it up (like a pea pod) to release all of those magnificent little beans inside. Place it in the jar, fill it up with bourbon, screw the lid on tight and wait. Yup, that's it! Put it in a dark place, like in a cupboard, and wait about a month (the longer you wait the better it will be, like good wine). And tada!! You have yourself some gourmet vanilla extract that cost you a fraction of the price!

Let's do the math...

Let's say you spend $10 for bourbon (I buy the $5 stuff), then you'll only need 6 of the vanilla beans (it costs $4 a dozen), that's an investment of $12. Now, a pint is 16 oz. and the typical bottle of vanilla from the grocery store is 1 oz. That's a whopping 75 cents per ounce of the homemade extract!

So, compare $4-8 an ounce to 75 cents an ounce and you tell me which one sounds better! The homemade stuff is free of all the chemicals you might find in the store bought stuff, and that means less toxins for our planet and ourselves. Even eliminating small amounts of toxins makes a difference. Always remember that the small things DO matter!

Now, I'll end this with a note on the leftover vanilla beans.
Sure, you can double up your batch of extract and give some out as gifts. Or, you can keep the beans around for other uses. Like, for example, if you cut open the pods, scrape out the beans and mix them with a few cups of sugar, let them sit for a week or two, you'll have the most delicious vanilla sugar you have ever tasted. The sugar can be used in place of regular sugar in any way you desire. Be creative! Just remember to store the beans in an airtight container and away from light.

Well, That's all for this post. Keep yourself updated and check back often for new blogs!