Vanilla Extract

Ooh this is pretty exciting.
My gargantuan order of bottles has arrived.
I got some 5 oz bottles for making vanilla extract.
Then bought some bourbon vanilla beans at the coop ($172 a pound in the bulk section! Yikes!) They are slippery and a bit oily and they give off a deep fragrance that is incredible.

I cut each each in half with a sharp knife and the tiny sticky seeds were revealed almost like caviar. I stuffed each split bean in a sterilized bottle then covered it with a nice vodka. It makes a natural vanilla extract without the ucky corn syrup or coloring.

I took these photos the morning after I made them and already the alcohol is turning brown. In two months it will be dark dark brown and ready to use.

It looks gorgeous to me. I love how it looks a bit like a weird potion with worms or bark but it's actually the hand-picked seed pod of a tropical orchid. Vanilla. Amazing!

I signed up for a holiday fair at work on Dec 3rd so I have alot of decanting, labeling and sewing to do in the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted.