A Lucky Find

Vanilla beans are one of those things that are outrageously expensive. Two beans for $9. So I never use them, unless someone gives them to me. Luckily someone gave my mom a bottle of three beans, but she had no use for them and gave them to me. I like making my own vanilla extract with it, since I get more with less money. And I know it's pure and real. I can get away without using vanilla beans, but vanilla extract is a different story. It's practically in every baked good I make (except bread, of course.) One day I was browsing people's blogs and their links, and came across The Organic Vanilla Bean Company. They sound expensive, since they are "organic" but turns out they were dirt cheap! I mean, 20 beans for a little over $10! (including shipping.) Doubt ran in my head, what's wrong with them? But they claimed they were the sh** so I tried them out. Now, I'm not a vanilla bean expert, but they looked like any other bean I've seen, and they were organic so that much better, right? They came vacuum sealed, I got the sample pack, 10 each of Tahitian and Bourbon, min. 6" long. They arrived just in time for the last Daring Baker challenge.
So I threw a couple into some brandy. I use one bean, split lengthwise per 1 c. of liquor. You can use rum, brandy, or bourbon. I used brandy. They say it's ready in a month, but the longer it sits the better. You just need to shake it every now and then. Now this should last me a while...