Homemade Vanilla Extract...

I have always loved the flavor real vanilla added to my baked goods but did not always want to pay the price for those little bottles in the store.
Then dh and I discovered the joy of making our own.
It is so very easy; you will wonder why you did not start sooner.
We like to use Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla beans to make our extract.
So how do we do it?!
We purchase a bottle of vodka and place about ten beans in the bottle.
(The bottle above was a jumbo sized bottle of vodka from Costco that dh placed about twenty beans inside.)
We do not take the seeds out; simply pop the whole bean into the bottle and wait.
The bottle is kept in a dark closet and shaken every so many days.
The longer the bottle sits the stronger the flavor.
We have read to take the beans out and replace with new but honestly, we have never done it.
About three months into the process we start to use the vanilla.
I place some into a smaller bottle that has a few vanilla beans in to keep the flavor going along.

Easy and you can't beat the taste!

Oh! you can strain the vanilla but I like to leave the seeds in the bottom.
They add such a nice touch when you are baking or whatever you are making.