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Ian,

Is there any chance you can get the old posts here? I was hoping to update my thread on my vanilla extract experience.

Thanks,

EJ

My Adventure Finally Began

First of all, I must thank Ian for the site, these forums, and the Instructable that started it all!

I read with excitement and anticipation the instuctable written about making vanilla extract. Like most humans, I find vanilla to be one of the most beautiful smells and one of the most delicious flavors. My wife does a lot of baking, and vanilla extract is something she uses in nearly every recipe. My mother and grandmother are also avid bakers, and they both go through a lot of vanilla extract as well (albeit artificial due to cost and availability). I set out to change that for them.

Although it took about seven months from when I first read the instructable to my first bottle of extract being made, I am super-happy with the process so far.

I purchased my vanilla beans on eBay and feel that I got a great deal using Vanilla Products USA. I received 1 lb of Madagascar and 1 lb of Tahitian vanilla. The Madagascar was from Uganda while the Tahitian was from PNG. Both 1 lb vacuum packed bags were filled with the nicest and most fragrant vanilla I've ever seen in my life!

I used some bottles I purchased specifically for the project and initially filled two bottles with the vanilla beans, vanilla caviar, and then with 40% vodka. I will do more tomorrow (I had to stop here as my wife was going to sleep and she wants to help me with the process). All in all, I will probably make around a gallon of extract when all is said and done.

Being that this is the first day in my vanilla extract adventure, I can't report much more than what I received, what I used, and what I expect. I will update this thread as time goes by. I will continue to follow Ian's instructions, as they seem to be not only the most well thought-out, but I think that his recipe will yield the best tasting extract.

Thanks again!!!

Vanilla Allergy

An interesting thing happened to me yesterday after opening my Madagascar Panifolia; my face broke out in hives. It appears that I may be experiencing some sort of allergic reaction to the Vanilla from Madagascar.

I don't understand how I could have such a fast and severe reaction from it, but all I did was open the bag and put my face into it to get a good smell of the wonderful aroma. I've never had any sort of allergy before (other than to certain detergents), so I didn't even consider I'd have anything to worry about.

To add to the confusion, I have been working with the Tahitian vanilla now for two days and have had no problems. I won't discount the fact that the reaction could be either delayed (initialized with the first vanilla contact) or immediate contact reaction from the Tahitian (I may have touched my face while cutting/scraping the vanilla last night).

I've been eating vanilla all my life in one form or another and have never had any reaction. Perhaps it's the high concentration? I don't know.

Either way, I'm now suffering from swelling, redness, and hives on my face. My hands which touched the Tahitian vanilla and a few of the Madagascar vanilla seem unaffected. This is the only factor that makes me dubious as to vanilla being the cause, but I'm also aware that the skin on one's face is more sensitive than the hands.

I will be working with more vanilla tonight and tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes.

I did do some research and found that vanilla can cause immediate contact allergic reactions in some people who have allergies to plants, pollen, and essential oils (I am not one of those people). There is lots of information available on this by doing a simple Google search.

Anyway, I thought I'd post this in the event anyone else has a similar experience.

Oddly, I'm not going to stop working with the vanilla. I will possibly purchase some latex gloves to use when working with the vanilla and will be more careful with touching my face or putting my face into a bag of vanilla to get a whiff.

Half Gallon At A Time?

Ian,

I was wondering; what's the difference between using small bottles versus one large bottle for making extract? I was thinking that perhaps the process could be made easier for those of us making large quantities of extract to give to our friends and families by making one large batch in a half-gallon bottle. Then, once the extract is finished, we can filter/pour into smaller bottles to give as gifts.

The impetus for this thought was as I sat on the floor tonight shaking all the bottles of extract I have made while looking at the single empty bottle of vodka.

Any ideas?