Happy Sunday, friend.
Can you believe it’s August already?! I feel like we were juusstt doing fourth of July celebrations. Time has gone into warp speed for me, how about you? I have been dreaming of autumn and winter quite a bit with this heat ( it’s no wonder the summer is slipping away quickly ). So naturally I am already planning for the upcoming holidays and all the baking I plan on doing.
With that said, I usually make some homemade vanilla extract in July so it will be ready by October at the earliest, so technically I am late to the game. Truthfully, I made a double batch last summer so this year I am finishing up that batch. I made extra last year because I planned on gifting bottles for Christmas, which turned out to be a big hit with my family and friends. I want to share the super simple process with you here…
Here’s what you’ll need:
Vanilla beans - I usually get Madagascar beans and I get a minimum of 10 beans; you can find them on amazon. I get mine from Vanilla Bean King.
Alcohol - vodka or bourbon if you like a strong, smokey flavor ( I have used bourbon in the past and it’s great for things like pecan pie and cookies, but if you like a more vanilla forward flavor then stick with vodka )
Glass jar - you’ll want an airtight lid and something with an opening large enough to pull the beans out; I use a 64 oz widemouth mason jar but a 32oz (quart) size will work as well.
Here’s the process:
Begin by slicing your vanilla beans down the middle to expose the paste inside and then toss them into the jar. If you are using a smaller size jar, cut your vanilla beans in half to make sure the liquid can cover them.
After you’ve sliced all the beans, gently add in your alcohol of choice. Be sure to fully submerge the vanilla beans; they can last indefinitely in the vodka as long as they are covered.
Tighten your lid onto the container and give it a good shake.
Make sure to give your extract a label so you can easily keep track of when you made it.
Store your jar in a cool dark place while the magic happens and give it a shake every now and then.
The longer it sits, the stronger the vanilla flavor will be.
Here’s mine from last year; as you can see I still have quite a bit leftover and it’s very dark now.
This is my 64oz mason jar of vanilla extract
Always measure vanilla with your heart
Isn’t it funny how something so simple, started months in advance, and hidden away from sight can turn into something so full of flavor and spark endless cozy memories? That’s the thing about culinary endeavors…there are so many lessons to be learned that parallel bigger life lessons; patience and planning being two of the recurring ones for me personally. You need patience to wait a few months for the vanilla beans to really marry with the alcohol and you need to plan ahead so it’s ready when you need it. Life is like that too. I also needed the reminder this week that just because you don’t see anything happening right away, doesn’t mean your planning isn’t turning into something magical behind the scenes.
That’s it for this week; I hope you have a great start to your August and I’ll meet you here…
Same time next week.
— Sara
