Making vanilla is so easy and economical. If you do any amount of baking, the price of vanilla in the store is outrageous. I won't use the imitation stuff. I have no idea where my homemade vanilla is on the "gourmet" scale, but I've used it for years and I don't notice any lack of vanilla flavor.
Here's how you make it. Buy 2 fresh vanilla beans. Around here, they cost about $12.00 (for 2) at my local health food store. Go buy a liter of vodka. It doesn't have to be the best, I buy the least expensive to keep my vanilla price down. Slice the vanilla beans lengthwise and then cut into inch pieces, put them into the vodka and cap it again. Now, put it into the back of your pantry and every once in a while when you see it, give it a shake. I would let it steep at least 2 months. It will turn the color of.......vanilla! I leave the beans right in the bottle while I am using it. When I get to the last third of the bottle, I will start another batch.
One year for Christmas I decided to give each of the kids a bottle of homemade vanilla. I started early in the year buying a bottle of vodka (I needed 5) every time I went to the grocery store. I sure hope I had a different clerk every time so stories didn't get started! I thought putting it on the high shelf in the pantry would keep it from the kids sight, until my son declared one day, "Mom do you have a problem I don't know about? What are you doing with all that vodka?".........."my problem" became known at Christmas time and we all had a good laugh.
.....dr momi
Making vanilla is so easy and economical. If you do any amount of baking, the price of vanilla in the store is outrageous. I won't use the imitation stuff. I have no idea where my homemade vanilla is on the "gourmet" scale, but I've used it for years and I don't notice any lack of vanilla flavor.
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| One bottle 2/3 gone and the next started. |
Here's how you make it. Buy 2 fresh vanilla beans. Around here, they cost about $12.00 (for 2) at my local health food store. Go buy a liter of vodka. It doesn't have to be the best, I buy the least expensive to keep my vanilla price down. Slice the vanilla beans lengthwise and then cut into inch pieces, put them into the vodka and cap it again. Now, put it into the back of your pantry and every once in a while when you see it, give it a shake. I would let it steep at least 2 months. It will turn the color of.......vanilla! I leave the beans right in the bottle while I am using it. When I get to the last third of the bottle, I will start another batch.
One year for Christmas I decided to give each of the kids a bottle of homemade vanilla. I started early in the year buying a bottle of vodka (I needed 5) every time I went to the grocery store. I sure hope I had a different clerk every time so stories didn't get started! I thought putting it on the high shelf in the pantry would keep it from the kids sight, until my son declared one day, "Mom do you have a problem I don't know about? What are you doing with all that vodka?".........."my problem" became known at Christmas time and we all had a good laugh.
.....dr momi
3 comments:
I'm trying this one!
Me too!
I am making some this year! I also shared this with my neighbor. I have found some cheap vanilla beans at the Bulk Price Food Shoppe in Greenville (WI)
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