This journey of unprocessing food actually began with finding out we could make our own vanilla extract. That was 3 years ago and we are presently on our 4th bottle of home-made vanilla extract.
So many baking recipes require vanilla. Oh sure, you can buy the cheap vanilla extract, and you get exactly what you paid for - a cheap tasting product. Have you ever tried the real thing? It is more expensive, but the difference in taste makes it so worthwhile!
It is the expense of the real vanilla extract that is tough to swallow. Sure, the taste is worth it, but it is hard on the wallet.
I cheered when I came across a recipe to make your own! The recipe calls for vanilla beans which I had been using in recipes for a few years now. Vanilla beans aren’t cheap either. I found Costco had the best price on them (found with the baking goods and spices, usually in the fall, closer to Christmas). As I remember, I paid $10 - $12 for 2 tubes of vanilla beans and there were 5 beans in each tube. Safeway was $6.99 for a tube of 2. Definitely worth going to Costco! If you don’t have a Costco membership yourself, find a friend who does and join them on a shopping day.
The downfall to making your own vanilla extract is the time for the vanilla beans to infuse their flavor, about 4 to 6 months. Oh, the taste is so worth the wait! I started the second bottle when I was 1/3 of the way through the first bottle so I wouldn’t run out.
Cost Comparison
With the price of the Real Vanilla Extract being so high, it is certainly worth making your own vanilla extract. Home-made Vanilla Extract will cost you ½ of what it costs in the store.
Store Bought | Home-made |
| Artificial Vanilla Extract: $1.64 for 100 ml ($0.0164 / ml) | Vanilla Beans: $4.00 Vodka: $14.00 for 375 ml bottle Total Cost: $18.00 / 375 ml |
| Real Vanilla Extract: $10.00 for 100 ml ($.10 / ml) | ($0.05/ml) |
Here lies the problem with Artificial Vanilla Extract. It contains the additive Sodium Benzoate. Definitely an additive that you don't want to be ingesting.
Here lies the problem with Artificial Vanilla Extract. It contains the additive Sodium Benzoate. Definitely an additive that you don't want to be ingesting.
Health Issues | |
| Sodium Benzoate (aka E211) | - Forms a chemical known as Benzene when in the presence of vitamin C, which is a known carcinogenic substance. - Has been found to damage an important area of DNA in the "power station" of cells known as the mitochondria. DNA damage is known to contribute to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, and more generally, is likely to speed up the entire aging process |
| Here is a source: http://handblender.us/sodium-benzoate-side-effects Feel free to explore some more on the health problems associated with these additive. | |
Here is the Recipe
Let me know when you make this and what you think of the flavor!
