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I recently came across a recipe for homemade vanilla extract and thought I'd give it a go. Another experiment to try (along with my brandied fruit and green smoothies). After all, pure vanilla is expensive! (And can be not all that pure as it usually has a few other additives.) So, let's see if it's worth the effort (and the cost).
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There seem to be any number of slight variations on the ingredient amounts and time you leave the vanilla to "cure". So, seeing as I'm on a financial diet these days, I decided to go with a more thrift-conscious recipe.
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The recipes all call for 2 things -- vodka and vanilla beans. I found a 375 ml bottle of vodka on the alcohol shelf of my jelly cupboard. (Thank you Libby for the free vodka... and the fact that you're hundreds of miles away in nursing school & hopefully have forgotten you left it there! [This is the part where I laugh maniacally like any mad scientist conducting an experiment should!]) And I had one vial of 2 vanilla beans; I purchased one more vial at a cost of $5.99.
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I used 2 small 150 ml bottles I had lying around. Into each bottle, I put about 1/2 cup of vodka and 2 vanilla beans; they had been slit open, the seeds scraped out & added, and then cut in half. So, the math works out to approximately $12-$15 per bottle. Supposedly, as you use the vanilla and it depletes, you can top it up with more vodka.
.Now, that it's bottled, I have to leave it for anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months (depending on which Google site you go with! Scheesh!) in a dark place. [Maniacal laughter again!) I'll give the bottles a shake every month and check on the color. I'm thinking that it should be ready between Xmas and New Years.
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Stay tuned for exciting updates on this latest experiment. ('Cause I know you've nothing better to do with your time and you're already fanning yourself with all the excitement.)
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Small town Friday night doesn't get any better, huh!
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7 comments:
Hey if you are happy, having fun, and learning something - then I call it a successful night. My nights are like this too -
sandie
VODKA and vanilla beans? Really?
I have never, ever even thought about making my own vanilla. Guuurl, you stay out of that vodka bottle 'cause I want to know how this experiment goes.
What a great Science Project! LOL!!
A Friday night with a bottle of vodka. Not boring. However waiting for 3 months for the concotion to work would drive me crazy. I'm not a patient person. Sounds like waiting for paint to peel. It is an interesting experiment. I hope you stick with it until the very end. Keep us posted on the latest developments. Take care.
Love the Mad Scientist Laughter :)
And very interested in how the vanilla turns out. Sad that pure vanilla is so expensive.
It will be interesting to see how it turns out for you. I don't use vanilla very often, so the bottle I have seems likes it has been around forever. Makes me wonder if there is an expiration date. Hope your Saturday is a super one!
Fun! I'll look forward to the updates!
wow...this will be interesting to see how this turns out.
I always have people bring me back that pure vanilla from Mexico, (when they are on various vacation trips there...not me alas)
I love it, it is stronger then the stuff you buy at the store.
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