Homemade Vanilla

For the past year or so I've been experimenting with homemade Vanilla extract. I have always loved vanilla and the flavor it gives to things. I never dreamed that vanilla could be as simple and as complicated as it is. Vanilla extract is quite easy to make yet it takes a lot of time and patience. Like many things vanilla gets better with age.
Vanilla comes from the cured seed pod or bean of the vanilla orchid. The seed is a long dark brown pod containing thousands of tiny seeds. There are a few different varieties of vanilla beans. Planifolia, Tahitensis, Bourbon and Mexican to name just a few. Each one has its own flavor variation.
Vanilla extract is made by transferring the flavor of the vanilla bean into alcohol. I use Vodka. One ounce of beans per cup of Vodka works great and delivers a great product. I've purchased my beans from www.saffon.com
This is a great site and has good prices. Vanilla beans can be very expensive. So shop around.
Being LDS and from Utah I can't just go to my cabinet and pull out a bottle of vodka. I first had to get over the fear of having a someone see me buying a bottle and then because I live in Utah I couldn't just go to the store and buy a bottle either. I had to go to the state run liquor store. Then when I got there I had to choose from all the different kinds of vodka. Who knew that there would be an entire wall of vodka. (Not someone like me who has never even had a drink before.)So I had to ask what the difference was. The person that I asked. (A short heavy set man in a tank top and ripped Levi's.) He held up the bottle he was holding and said "If ya buy the cheep crap it taste like your drink'n battery acid and if ya buy the expensive stuff it goes down smooth like silk." I settled for a bottle of Smirnoff Premium triple distilled vodka 80 proof. You need to have a vodka that's at least 35% alcohol. After your adventure at the liquor store you need to add your beans. First you need at least 8 beans per cup of vodka. So I purchased a 750ml bottle of vodka (3 cups), which means you need at least 24 beans. Take the beans and split them down the middle.

You can scrap the seeds out if you like or just leave them in the pod. Place the seeds and the cut beans into the bottle of vodka. You may have to remove some of the vodka first since the beans will displace the liquid. Replace the cap and shake the bottle. Know comes the hard part. Place the bottle some where safe and let it age for 6 months to 6 years. Shake the bottle periodically and give it a good sniff. MMMMMMMMMMM
After 6 months you have Vanilla extract. Use as much as you like. You can always make more.
I started out buying one pound of Planifolia beans and 750 ml bottle of vodka. I have recently moved up to making a gallon at a time to give away as gifts for christmas. I have even tried ageing the vanilla in a oak barrel. Which gives it a slight oak flavor. I was going to try smoking some beans in my smoker and see how that turns out.