Easy to do and worth all the wait. Homemade vanilla extract is an excellent gift of love.
Split the beans lengthwise to expose the tiny specks inside. No need to remove them.
Pour the vodka over the beans, seal the jar and give it a shake. Store it where you can reach it and every couple of days give it a shake.
You’ll see the color start to leech out in just a few days and an aroma develop. Vanilla grows in flavor strength so leave the extract to stand for 6 months.
Strain and pour into 2 ounce sealable jars and make pretty labels. You’ve just make your first Christmas gifts.
In dessert making, the seeds would be scraped free of the pod and used for aesthetics. In this extract, the split beans is enough for the shaking over the next months will loosen the seeds. They do make a pretty addition to all creations, solid or liquid.