[Homesteadingfamily] Making pure vanilla extract

I found this great site and some of you may have already been
there...www.topvanilla.comThey sell vanilla beans from Madagascar that
are fresh and moist. I bought 50 beans and made about5 bottles of
vanilla using only those beans and Vodka. I stuck the split beans into
the Vodka bottle(pulled the little stopper pouring thingy out, but
replaced it after the beans went in) and left them.I think one can use
Bourbon, too, but I bought Vodka for these. I am letting three set for a
yearor more to age and using out of the others. After about 2 months, it
had this deep brownish golden color... it is divine! Just split the
beans about 2/3 of the way up and place them in the bottles. I put about
10 beans into each bottle and every time I notice them, I give them all
a "shake". The vanilla bean seeds and pieces will litter the bottle of
the bottle, so you'll have to strain these out, if you don't want them
in your recipe.I left them in when we made home made ice cream and
called it "Vanilla Bean"...it looked just like the store brand version!
I think I can refill the same bottle over and over for quite some time
with more Vodka, maybe topping it off when it gets to about half way
down...
They charged, I think, $9.95 for 25 beans, but it was a little cheaper
to buy 50. ~deb

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