Yesterday I picked up four vanilla beans at the Co-op to make my own vanilla extract. I used rum with this; but, according to some research, I could have used brandy or vodka. It seems the vodka might take longer (up to 6 months) while some sources I found said that rum can produce good flavored vanilla in a couple weeks! I'll let you know how this batch turns out.
In the meantime, I'm planning to have a little experiment with different alcohols to see which one gives the best flavor (once I pick up some brandy and vodka, that is).
I'm listing a bunch of things on ebay today and generally just enjoying being home on this very frigid morning. Negative 11 degrees when I got up. Not fun.
What's up in your world on this MLK Day?
Hello,I tried making my own vanilla. It took me 5 months to make enough vanilla to almost fill a mason jar. I was disappointed because after waiting that long I expected it to be better. I used Vodka. It was very strong (alcohol) and did not have enough vanilla flavour. I think that I will stick to buying it at the bulk barn. Hope you have better luck than me.
ReplyDeleteKim
Minus 11? Brrrr! It was "only" minus 1 here in southern Maine this morning. I was very thankful my car started without too much protest, since I'm expected to show up at the office regardless of the weather! I'm glad you enjoyed your morning at home. It sounds lovely.
ReplyDeleteBrrrr, that's cold... just blogging and watching TV with one eye and ear... snow on the ground, still spitting, I wonder if there will be school tomorrow?
ReplyDeleteAwe Kim, I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. Based upon the research I did, using vodka for vanilla extract takes a long time. Also, you have to be sure to slit the beans and then scrape out the vanilla "caviar", adding that to the mix. And keep it in a dark place and/or dark bottle. The vodka endeavor sounded like a lot more work and effort (without the results) than using rum or brandy. Handy for me that we had rum :). I did slit the beans and chopped but didn't scrape. We'll see :). Maybe you'll try it again with something different?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fun experiment!
ReplyDelete11 below zero? Oh my. Yes, really good day to stay home!