Making your own vanilla extract

Have you seen the prices of vanilla extract lately?
There's a worldwide shortage of vanilla and the prices are SHOWING it big time.

I decided it was high time I made my own to save money--BUT-- I must admit, it also tastes better!
According to the multiple recipes I read (all pretty much just beans+vodka=extract) most say it never goes bad as long as you store it in a cool dark place.
I decided to make a big batch so I could give vanilla extract as holiday gifts.




I love kombucha, and the KeVita brand bottles were perfect for the vanilla extract-- dark brown glass and just under 16 oz-- perfect.  (If you've never tried KeVita and you want a flavor suggestion, try Pineapple Peach.)

You can buy any beans you want, but Tahitian Grade B are the ones I found right now (late 2019) that are good quality and the type you want for extract.  If you can afford it-- get Madagascar and get the beans on Mountain Rose Herbs-- otherwise just shop around the internet.  (Or if you have a great local place to get real vanilla beans-- even better.)

You need:
4 brown glass bottles, 12-16 oz each
20 vanilla beans, Grade B for extract (Tahitian or Madagascar)
54-60 oz vodka (you can use any alcohol but vodka is preferred since it has the least flavor)
*Or, 5 beans, 15 oz vodka, and 1 bottle if you want to start small

Cut each vanilla bean in half, scrape out at least 50% of the inside and carefully put it in the bottle, then throw the rest of the bean in there.  Repeat with 4 more beans.  You should now have 5 full beans in the bottle, halved, with insides scraped out.

The entire bean is back in the bottle, but dismantled.  Cover with vodka.  Store in a  cool dark place (spice cabinet etc) for at least a month, preferable 2-3 months.  By the 2-3 month mark, strain out the vanilla pieces and store back in the cool dark place.  Some people say they leave the beans in permanently, but it will take on a  syrupy texture after awhile if you do that-- you decide!

Repeat with the next 3 bottles + ingredients.

If you are able to use 60 oz vodka & 20 beans, this comes out to $1 per ounce.
The current cost is about $5-6 per ounce minimum.

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