Soooo sorry that I didn’t keep up with my Vanilla Bound Series. Truth be told, 6 months is a long time. I ended up in “set it and forget it mode”. When it was time to use my new extract, I was so excited I forgot to take pictures, and I started using it and giving it away.

NOTE: Attachments to the first 3 posts of the Vanilla Bound Series are listed at the end of this post.

Okay, so I am finally giving you my thoughts on the end results:

I thought the results of my first vanilla extract attempt were good.   I used cheesecloth and a strainer to strain the beans and the seeds of the beans from the extract (about 5 times).  I liked my version better than the store-bought versions that I’d been buying and using for years.

I am now on my third batch of vanilla extract.  During the second batch I made a few changes (incorporated different vanilla beans – Mexican, Bourbon, Indian, etc.).  I really loved that batch.

What I’ve Learned:  I learned that store-bought isn’t always best. After researching some of the top vanilla extracts, I found that many of them use water as their first ingredient (which means it is the most used ingredient), and many have sugar as an ingredient. Sugar?!? This baffles me because how can it be “pure” vanilla extract if it has sugar and/or it’s diluted with water. I also came across extracts that have chemicals in their ingredients (probably preservatives, but who knows what or why).

Bottom line:  Start your own DIY projects, because sometimes you don’t get what you pay for.

Related articles:

• You Are Now Vanilla Bound (Week 1) (shortbreadswee-t.com)
• You Are Now Vanilla Bound (Week 2) (shortbreadswee-t.com)
• You Are Now Vanilla Bound (Week 21) (shortbreadswee-t.com)