So in my attempt to eat less processed food, I decided to make my own vanilla extract. That way I could be certain that it would be gluten and nightshade free.

I bought Fair Premium Vodka, which is a Certified Fair Trade Vodka made from Quinoa, from Whole Foods. While I was there, I also picked of 6 sticks of Madagascar vanilla beans. I chopped the beans in half, then length-wise to expose the seeds. Then I dropped them in the vodka, and a month later I have a ton of high quality vanilla extract. You can also make this with cheap vodka to reduce the cost. It will work the same, but is usually derived from potatoes. It is recommended that you store this in a cool dry place and turn the bottle over every so often to get things flowing. A couple months are best.

This extract will not go bad if only vodka and vanilla beans are used.

This also makes a lot of homemade gifts with little effort, just divide the larger bottle into smaller decorative bottles for multiple gifts.