Producer
Home Spun Goodz
, ,
About Us
Family hobbyists specializing in homemade vanilla extract. Our first batch of vanilla was created as a Mother’s Day gift.
After my son graduated from high school and we found ourselves empty nesters, I began to research hobbies and homemade crafts. I was looking for something to give my mom for Mother’s Day and considered making some vanilla extract.
The first batch was labeled with some leftover kitchen labels and my wife Jolene’s handwritten “Tim’s Homemade Vanilla” in red Sharpie.
The product turned out good, really good and Jolene had soon used it up and said I had to make more because it was so much better than store-bought vanilla. The next batch was shared with friends and family who suggested my hobby would be a welcome newcomer to craft shows and farmer’s markets.
We began to experiment making batches not only with vodka, but with rum, bourbon and even vegetable glycerin for an alcohol-free version. Each one is unique and rich in flavor. Most recently we began making a delicious vanilla bean paste that’s creamy and sweet and full of bean caviar.
Now more than 15 years after the first batch, the process has become sort of a family tradition for us.
After my son graduated from high school and we found ourselves empty nesters, I began to research hobbies and homemade crafts. I was looking for something to give my mom for Mother’s Day and considered making some vanilla extract.
The first batch was labeled with some leftover kitchen labels and my wife Jolene’s handwritten “Tim’s Homemade Vanilla” in red Sharpie.
The product turned out good, really good and Jolene had soon used it up and said I had to make more because it was so much better than store-bought vanilla. The next batch was shared with friends and family who suggested my hobby would be a welcome newcomer to craft shows and farmer’s markets.
We began to experiment making batches not only with vodka, but with rum, bourbon and even vegetable glycerin for an alcohol-free version. Each one is unique and rich in flavor. Most recently we began making a delicious vanilla bean paste that’s creamy and sweet and full of bean caviar.
Now more than 15 years after the first batch, the process has become sort of a family tradition for us.
Practices
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is homemade vanilla extract better than store-bought?
A: Big name brands use heat and pressure for the extraction process. They add chemicals to quicken extraction time and other chemicals for decanting the vanilla. My homemade extract uses frequent agitation only. I age the extract for 12-24 months, shaking the jugs weekly. No heat, no chemicals, no pressure cookers, just time.
Better beans. The FDA guidelines for vanilla extract only indicate the weight of beans to alcohol ratio but says nothing concerning the quality. I use very high-quality Grade A Madagascar vanilla beans that are plump with a moisture content of 33% filled with bean caviar.
More beans. I use 20% more than the FDA requirement of vanilla beans to be deemed "pure" vanilla extract.
----------------------------
Q: There are different kinds of vanilla extract?
A: Absolutely! Different types of vanilla beans and different extracting agents give vanilla different flavor profiles.
I use vodka, white rum and palm derived vegetable glycerin for three wonderful all-purpose vanilla extracts. Vodka lends very little to the overall flavor profile and is the most similar product to what you can find in the grocery store. White rum yields a slightly sweeter vanilla because rum is a distilled sugar product. Vegetable glycerin becomes a sweet, alcohol-free version of all-purpose vanilla.
A note about alcohol-free vanilla. We take alcohol-free production very seriously. When we produce the alcohol-free vanilla, we do not bottle any other product at the same time. No measuring, filtering or straining utensils are ever cross contaminated with our other products containing alcohol.
Straight Kentucky bourbon and Captain Morgan spiced rum are used in my other products. Both of these add a unique twist to the overall flavor profile of the vanilla. Spiced rum makes a product similar to Mexican vanilla which is made with spiced rum. The bourbon vanilla is the darkest, richest product we make, taking two years of extraction to complete. Both of these vanillas lend themselves very well to holiday recipes containing dates, nuts, pumpkin and spices such as spice cakes, gingerbread cookies, pumpkin spice recipes and other holiday favorites.
You can read about how we use each type of vanilla in their product descriptions.
----------------------------------------------------
Q: How do you make vanilla extract?
A: I cut and split each vanilla bean by hand, scrape out the caviar and add the caviar and pods into gallon size jars with the alcohol.
When it's time to bottle, we remove the beans and strain the product through cheesecloth three times to remove caviar and the remaining pods.
The beautiful, dark vanilla extra is then put into bottles, safety sealed and labeled.
------------------------------------------
Q: What about whole bean vanilla with the beans inside?
A: Aging vanilla extract is similar to aging fine wines and whiskeys. The longer the vanilla beans are in contact with the alcohol, the more completely the bean pods give up the 300+ flavor compounds which make the extract flavorful. Therefore, the longer the beans are in there, the better the vanilla extract gets. My whole bean (bean-in) extracts are ready to use, however the longer they stay on your shelf, and the beans are submerged, the more intense the flavor will become.
------------------------------------------
Q: What's the shelf life?
A: Vanilla extract made with alcohol has endless shelf life, no expiration date. Just keep your bottle out of direct sunlight.
The alcohol-free extract made with vegetable glycerin has a shelf life of approximately 3 years. We typically use it all well before that.
Sizing details
4oz bottle = 24 teaspoons
2oz bottle = 12 teaspoons
Q: Why is homemade vanilla extract better than store-bought?
A: Big name brands use heat and pressure for the extraction process. They add chemicals to quicken extraction time and other chemicals for decanting the vanilla. My homemade extract uses frequent agitation only. I age the extract for 12-24 months, shaking the jugs weekly. No heat, no chemicals, no pressure cookers, just time.
Better beans. The FDA guidelines for vanilla extract only indicate the weight of beans to alcohol ratio but says nothing concerning the quality. I use very high-quality Grade A Madagascar vanilla beans that are plump with a moisture content of 33% filled with bean caviar.
More beans. I use 20% more than the FDA requirement of vanilla beans to be deemed "pure" vanilla extract.
----------------------------
Q: There are different kinds of vanilla extract?
A: Absolutely! Different types of vanilla beans and different extracting agents give vanilla different flavor profiles.
I use vodka, white rum and palm derived vegetable glycerin for three wonderful all-purpose vanilla extracts. Vodka lends very little to the overall flavor profile and is the most similar product to what you can find in the grocery store. White rum yields a slightly sweeter vanilla because rum is a distilled sugar product. Vegetable glycerin becomes a sweet, alcohol-free version of all-purpose vanilla.
A note about alcohol-free vanilla. We take alcohol-free production very seriously. When we produce the alcohol-free vanilla, we do not bottle any other product at the same time. No measuring, filtering or straining utensils are ever cross contaminated with our other products containing alcohol.
Straight Kentucky bourbon and Captain Morgan spiced rum are used in my other products. Both of these add a unique twist to the overall flavor profile of the vanilla. Spiced rum makes a product similar to Mexican vanilla which is made with spiced rum. The bourbon vanilla is the darkest, richest product we make, taking two years of extraction to complete. Both of these vanillas lend themselves very well to holiday recipes containing dates, nuts, pumpkin and spices such as spice cakes, gingerbread cookies, pumpkin spice recipes and other holiday favorites.
You can read about how we use each type of vanilla in their product descriptions.
----------------------------------------------------
Q: How do you make vanilla extract?
A: I cut and split each vanilla bean by hand, scrape out the caviar and add the caviar and pods into gallon size jars with the alcohol.
When it's time to bottle, we remove the beans and strain the product through cheesecloth three times to remove caviar and the remaining pods.
The beautiful, dark vanilla extra is then put into bottles, safety sealed and labeled.
------------------------------------------
Q: What about whole bean vanilla with the beans inside?
A: Aging vanilla extract is similar to aging fine wines and whiskeys. The longer the vanilla beans are in contact with the alcohol, the more completely the bean pods give up the 300+ flavor compounds which make the extract flavorful. Therefore, the longer the beans are in there, the better the vanilla extract gets. My whole bean (bean-in) extracts are ready to use, however the longer they stay on your shelf, and the beans are submerged, the more intense the flavor will become.
------------------------------------------
Q: What's the shelf life?
A: Vanilla extract made with alcohol has endless shelf life, no expiration date. Just keep your bottle out of direct sunlight.
The alcohol-free extract made with vegetable glycerin has a shelf life of approximately 3 years. We typically use it all well before that.
Sizing details
4oz bottle = 24 teaspoons
2oz bottle = 12 teaspoons