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If you use a lot of vanilla as I do, here is a way to make your own and it's sooooooooooooo easy. Take a quart of Captain Morgan's Silver Rum, add 6 vanilla beans, place in a dark cool place for about 3 months and you won't believe what you see. The clear rum turns dark brown and although you can still smell a bit of rum it has turned to vanilla. I keep mine under the sink and every once in a while I shake it. When you start running low simply add more rum, the vanilla beans will keep making the vanilla. You can buy top quality vanilla beans inexpensively at www.topvanilla.com. I buy the 25/50 bunch so I can get a head start on making Christmas gifts or other special occasion gifts in advance. I clean the label off the rum bottle and make an appropriate label to take it's place.

You have to be patient at first but the rewards will amaze you and so is the flavor. You won't ever have to buy an expensive small bottle of "pure" vanilla again and you definitely won't ever use "imitation" vanilla once you make your own. This is how they make vanilla so stop paying the high prices for such small bottles and make your own!!!!!!!

I use cheap vodka and no extra taste from it, have been doing this for years, the vodka adds no flavor of it's own, I get my beans on ebay for about 7$ for 20 or so beans... it comes out delicious

Thank you for the info. I didn't have a clue.
Teresa

I been making mine for years also.
But sometimes it is hard to always find the vanilla beans.

I have tried several ways, and have enjoyed all of them, some with extra flavor, like yours.

Love it homemade all the way.

Enjoy,
Autumn

wow. I didn't know you could do this. How long can you keep using the vanilla beans? Or how do you know when you need to change the vanilla beans?

pat

Once the beans are used in this they stay in this you can leave them in there, they are "spent" I generally don't reuse them or change them, I put fresh ones in a fresh bottle of vodka(rum if you choose) If any of my beans get "old" i place them in a jar with regular sugar and it make great vanilla sugar for baking or coffee,tea etc.

WOW!!! I never heard of this!!
But can't wait to try it!!!!

Oh, shucks - must I put beans in the Vodka???
Ha
I don't drink - so - just kidding.

thank Ill try it

I never knew this either. Thanks-I am always baking and try to find my pure vanilla (hate the fake stuff) at Aldi or one of the other discount grocers.

Oh this sounds great! I can't wait to try it.

This maybe a strange question, But
How many oz. of Rum or Vodka? being a non drinker I have no idea.
Thanks for the info I hate paying the price for the real stuff.
tatter2

A quart is what Jasonsmom said. That would be 32 oz.

I use 3-4 beans to a full bottle of vodka(750ml) If you start one now it will be just about ready in August..... better in September, and really great for the holidays......I keep it in a dark place also as light is not great for alcohol or vanilla beans... so the back of a cupboard etc .....

Being a non drinker also, I have no idea how liquor is measured but I went to the store and the bottle I buy is 750 ml, I don't know why companies just can't put it in ENGLISH and not metric !!!!!! Looks like a quart to me !!!!!! I haven't used Vodka but they say it has a neutral flavor so it's suppose to be good for this also.

240ml is appx. 8 ounces which is 1 cup, so 750ml is roughly 32 ounces. Metric is a more precise measuring system.. and really easy to learn, once you start to use it, and 3/4 of the world uses it, I think we are the only country that doesn't use it on everything, but if we just converted and everything came that way, cups measures rulers etc we would know no different. All items would be in metric, all recipes would be too. If a recipe says 240 ml in it, and you have a item bottled metrically it would no different then cup to quart.

Pharmacies are based on metric, because it is more precise.

Vodka, the product has no flavor, in fact it is the liqueur with the slogan of "kisses but never tells" LOL

A question for any of you who have tried this before -----
I purchased pure vanilla beans for Y2K some years ago and kept them in a sealed glass jar, can I still use them for this????? How many beans do you need????
Thank you!

They are still good to use and in the 750 ml bottle I use 6 beans.

Thank you for that response!!
I greatly appreciate it!!

Any preferance for proof of vodka?

Ordered the vanilla beans. Should be here on Monday. Vodka or Rum? Which do I use?
These will be great at Christmas. Thanks

Nope, and the cheaper for me the better, when I went on a cruise in January in the Caribbean, I bought Seagram cause I could get it there for 7$ a bottle, other wise I get house brands.

I have been known to use Everclear ( not legal where I live to purchase as it is pure moonshine technically, and cannot be drunk with out being in something like OJ. It is 100 proof. It made great vanilla. But is legal in the south I believe.

I prefer vodka with no added flavor, Rum gives a flavor that I already have in just using rum alone for baking, vanilla is, for me a pure flavor, and as such I use vodka to keep it that way. but that is just my preference.

Actually, vanilla vodka is quite yummy. You can make some fabulous mixed drinks with it.

Santa Claus brought me an assortment of flavored miniature vodkas for Christmas, vanilla was one of them. I thought Santa was nuts until we got snowed in for 13 days. With 2 boys and a husband playing non-stop video games, you can bet I was thanking Santa for bringing me such a wonderful gift!

Peggi

Which beans do you use, Premium Vanilla Beans or the Vanilla Extract Beans??

are the vanilla beans you use about 4or 5 inches long? not like coffee beans right?