Vanilla Extract Tutorial...

Today, I'm sharing my promised tutorial for homemade vanilla extract. When you find out how easy it is to make your own, you're going to wish you'd done this a long time ago! There really is nothing quite like homemade vanilla. You'll need to gather your ingredients and supplies first.

You'll need to purchase quality vanilla beans, which you can find online through eBay. I buy Madascar/Bourbon vanilla beans. (Here's a link for one of the US suppliers.) This one has a "Buy it Now" option, so you don't have to bid to make a purchase. You also want to be sure that the seller has a 100% feedback rating to ensure that they're reputable. I store my unused beans in a ziploc bag inside an airtight container to keep them fresh.

You'll also need a bottle of vodka. I use Fleishmanns, but any inexpensive vodka will do. (Edited 8/20/10 9:30 pm: Two of my blog friends suggested that you can also use brandy, and one of them also suggested cognac! I'll be trying those, too! Thanks, Maggie B. and Patricia!!) And you'll need empty bottles. I like to use the empty bottles from Starbucks Frappuccinos. I wash them thoroughly when they're empty and the labels remove easily. Then, I put them into the dishwasher to be sure they're sanitized.
Take about 8 vanilla beans for one batch of extract. You'll be using them as is. No need to rinse them. I always slit 2 or 3 beans to open them up and expose the seeds inside. They'll mix in with the extract as it ages.
See what the seeds look like? When you eat French vanilla ice cream, these are the little dark spots you see in the ice cream. I'll warn you that your hands and the kitchen are starting to smell really good already!
Place all of the vanilla beans into the empty bottle. Make sure that there is at least an inch head room from the top of the beans to the neck of the bottle. You're going to need to cover them completely with the liquid. (FYI, the good vanilla beans are usually between 6" and 7" long.)
Now, pour the straight vodka into the bottle and be sure to completely cover the vanilla beans. Resist the temptation to dab a little behind your ears, and I don't recommend taking a sip either. If you do, you might forget to make dinner tonight!
At this point, I take the knife I used to slice open the beans and stir it into the liquid. I want to make sure that all the seeds on the knife end up in the mix!
Put the lid on the bottle and then place a label on the bottle. I'll also add today's date on the label so I know when it's "ready". You'll want to shake up the bottle a couple of times a day for at least two weeks before you use the extract. It will darken, day by day, until it becomes the pure vanilla extract that will add that special touch to your recipes.

I finish packaging my bottles by adding a circle of fabric, tied with kitchen twine, raffia or a ribbon. You can add a little recipe, or instructions on the "care and feeding" for your extract. As you use it, if you just top it off with the equivalent amount of vodka, it will last for years! My bottle in the background was made at least two years ago. I always top mine off and it's just as delicious as when I first made it. In fact, it really gets better and better with age.

From time to time, we make our own ice cream around here. When we do, I take one of the vanilla beans out of the extract, slice it open and scrape the seeds into the ice cream mix. Then you can put the rest of the bean right back into the extract! It's a gift that keeps on giving.
So there you have it. Didn't I tell you it was simple? I made my labels in a program called Print Shop 2 on my mac, but if you don't have such a program, I can steer you to Karen's website, The Graphics Fairy, where she has some really great label frames that you can use to make your own. Click here for a link to her labels. Pick one you like and personalize it to suit your own style.
Now, just for reading all the way through my tutorial, I'm going to have a little giveaway. One lucky reader will receive the bottle of extract I made for this lesson! All you have to do is leave a message on this post. I'm going to leave the drawing open for two weeks, because the vanilla won't be ready to try before then.

So, leave a comment and you'll automatically be entered. That's all you have to do. Giveaway will end on September 3rd, and I'll announce the winner on September 4th. Thanks for stopping by again, and Good Luck!
UPDATE: 09/04/10 - DRAWING IS CLOSED. The winner is Natalie of Hungry Hippie blog. Thank you to everyone who left a comment and entered the drawing.