Last year I ordered vanilla beans and vanilla powder from Beanilla Trading Company. I had read good reports about this company’s products and services, and I was not disappointed. My order arrived quickly, and the packaging was high-quality. The vanilla beans have been stellar, with generous amounts of “caviar” in each bean. Beanilla’s prices are good, too, especially for the quality. I’ll be ordering from them again, to be sure. (Please note that I am not being compensated in any way for this endorsement. In fact, Beanilla is totally unaware of it.)
One of the reasons I wanted to order vanilla beans was so that I could make my own extract. It’s not a hard thing to do, it’s just time consuming. Six months of time to be exact. That’s how long the beans must soak in alcohol for the full flavor to be extracted.
Here are the jars when they were first filled:
Here are the jars after 6 months:
You can see that I recycled a green wine vinegar jar, a brown jar and a clear jar. They were all thoroughly washed and rinsed, then sterilized, before using. You can also buy colored glass or clear glass jars from Beanilla. If you really want to make life simple, just open a new bottle of vodka and slip your spliced vanilla beans right into that, using 1 oz., or about 3, beans for every 8 oz. of vodka. You’ll have a ton of vanilla extract, but, really, what great Christmas gifts they would make. Just buy or recycle smaller bottles for gift giving.
P. S. Several readers have asked which mixture I preferred. Unfortunately, novice me should have used one type bean in 3 different alcohols. Because I didn't do that, I can't really say which bean I prefer. But I can say that the bourbon vanilla beans soaked in Barbados rum were by far my favorite mixture. I also, at a later date, purchased Tonga beans, but was underimpressed with those.
| Homemade Vanilla Extract Source: Unknown |
| For each batch, you will need: 1 10 oz. jar with lid, preferably dark green or brown glass 8 oz. vodka, bourbon or rum 1 oz. vanilla beans (about 3, depending on size) Wash each jar thoroughly with hot soapy water and rinse well. Sterilize by steaming or boiling in water, along with the knife you will use to cut the vanilla beans open. Cool on wire rack with bottles and caps turned upside down to drain. Label jars or caps with date. Pour 8 oz. of preferred alcohol in each bottle. Cut each bean right down the middle to expose seeds. You don’t need to scrape the seeds out.  (If preferred, you can cut the beans in smaller pieces to make it easier to cover them with the alcohol.)  Place beans in jar, being sure they are completely covered with liquid – no bean pieces should show above the alcohol. Cap. Shake. Shake vigorously every day or at least once a week. If you forget, don’t worry. Just shake the jar(s) as often as you remember. This shakes the seeds free, and helps to flavor the alcohol. You can start using your extract after 2 months, but the best flavor will be developed after 6 months. Like a fine wine, it will improve with age. Shake the bottle before measuring out your extract, and be sure to store in a cool, dry place away from sun, light and heat. As you use the vanilla, you can replace what you’ve used with more alcohol. Initially, it will dilute the flavor, but it will catch up quickly. Vanilla powder is a wonderful substitute for vanilla extract when you don’t want to add more liquid to a recipe, such as in ice cream or frosting recipes. It's very easy to make. |
| Homemade Vanilla Powder Source: recipezaar.com |
 INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 vanilla bean 1/2 tsp. cornstarch Cut the bean into 1 to 2 inch segments. Put pieces into a clean spice/coffee grinder and grind into small pieces, about 1 minute. Add sugar and cornstarch and blend for about 2 minutes, or until the sugar is a fine powder. Sift contents through a fine sieve to remove any small pieces of vanilla bean that were not sufficiently milled. Store in clean, sterilized, airtight glass container away from sun, light and heat. The powder should be stored for at least 2 weeks before using. |
