Traditional Homestead Quick Tip: Homemade Vanilla Extract

Posted by May 15, 2015 from scratch, home remedy, how-to, traditional homestead quick tip , , , 6 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Traditional Homestead Quick Tip!

Today we’re going to talk about how simple it is to make from scratch one of your baking staples: vanilla extract.

Yellow Birch Hobby Farm- Homemade Vanilla Extract

Pure vanilla extract from the store can be pretty spendy. And don’t even get me started on the artificial stuff…just say no.

To make your own, you need just two ingredients and about 5 minutes of your time to start a batch. That’s it. Here’s how:

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz. whole vanilla beans (approx. 5 beans) (affiliate link)
  • 1 pint 80 proof vodka

Directions:

Cut up the vanilla beans into small pieces.

Homemade Vanilla Extract Step 1- yellow birch hobby farm

Put the vanilla bean pieces into a glass jar and add the pint of vodka (make sure that your jar not only can hold a pint of vodka, but that it completely covers the vanilla beans). Affix a lid to your jar.

Homemade Vanilla Extract Step 2- yellow birch hobby farm

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Swirl the contents once a day for the next month, then allow to age for 3- 6 months. The longer it sits, the darker your extract will become. The flavor will deepen as well. At this point you can choose to strain out the vanilla bean fragments using cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Or you can choose to leave them in your extract (be sure to keep the beans covered). I keep mine in its original jar and dip out what I need, but you can certainly transfer the contents to a different jar, such as one made for extracts as seen in the grocery store that allow you to pour out the contents.

Homemade Vanilla Extract - yellow birch hobby farm

Simple. Delicious. Homemade.

Thanks for checking out today’s Traditional Homestead Quick Tip!

Shared at:

The Art of Homemaking Mondays #53

This post contains affiliate links. What this means is I link to a product (that I love& use and/or recommend), and if you decide it’s something you want, I will receive a small monetary compensation with no cost to you- just because you used my link to find it! This helps support my blogging activities and I thank you. Homestead on, my friends.

About yellowbirchhobbyfarm

Hi! I'm Erin, a 19th-century homesteader at heart. Here at Yellow Birch Hobby Farm we practice self-sustainable living by way of organic gardening, canning & preserving, raising a variety of livestock, hunting, foraging, and cooking from scratch. And here at our blog, we share it all with you! So glad you've found us.
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6 comments on “Traditional Homestead Quick Tip: Homemade Vanilla Extract”

  1. What is the significance of cutting up the vanilla bean? Does it give more flavor vs. keeping whole? I made some but kept my beans whole but now they are exposed as I use it.

    • Hi, Amanda! Cutting up or splitting the vanilla beans reduces the infusion time and provides a more intense flavor. You could alternately snip the ends off of the beans so they could at least suck up some of the vodka and infuse the seeds. Plus, cut/split vs. whole will give you those pretty vanilla bean flecks in your extract- if you’re interested in the aesthetic side of things ;). Keep them covered so they don’t dry out- cutting them up into small pieces also allows them to stay covered longer.

      Hope this helps! Thanks for stopping over 🙂

      Erin

  2. I made a batch of home-made vanilla a couple of summers ago and it is fabulous. A pint goes a long way so I’m still using it. It just keeps steeping and getting better and better as time goes on.

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