Vanilla Tutorial

Good afternoon!

After a few interesting days and a bad back, I'm able to pop in here and write up the vanilla tutorial. It makes SO much sense to make your own vanilla. The taste is incomparable, you save so much money in comparison, and it's so very easy.

Why not give it a try? I order my vanilla beans online. There are various sources. I got a great deal from Olive Nation, but there are many other places online. If you want organic, just put "organic vanilla beans" in your search engine.

OK, ready?

I get all my bits and bobs ready. You can see in the picture below that I have my vanilla beans (no, I didn't use them all LOL...I've planned ahead to make BUCKETS of vanilla!). I have a sharp knife, and a cutting board, and 100 proof vodka

.

Take six vanilla beans, and, leaving the first inch intact, split them right down the middle. No scraping necessary, just split them. I've shown you the first one done. No need to be perfectionist about it, it doesn't have to be precise.

The last step is to put all the split vanilla beans into a canning jar, cover with vodka, put the lid on and let it sit in a dark cupboard for about 6 weeks, giving it a shake every now and again. If you look carefully, you can see small brown bits of vanilla floating around. At the end of the "brewing" time, you'll have the darkest, richest vanilla you could ever wish for! Also, as a gift idea, you can buy small brown bottles and share your vanilla with your friends. Don't forget to make some lovely homemade labels!

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial. As with the last one, please comment when you've tried it and let me know how it went!

God bless!

Fiona

Elderberry Tutorial

J.M.J.

I know I'm a day late and a dollar short, but I'm now trying to put my money where my mouth is and put up tutorials/pictures to help all of us in our homesteading adventure!

Here is my first attempt - I hope it works out ok!

I have elderberry bushes that I planted 5 years ago, and I had frozen some of the berries. I make a tincture that I use for a flu remedy and the jar was getting low, so thought it was time to make more. Don't fret if you don't have the bushes, you can order dried elderberries online (I did that my first year).

Here you can see I have my frozen elderberries, a canning jar, some 100-proof vodka (and please, make sure you use 100-proof if possible), and a funnel and measuring cup.

Because I froze them , branches and all, I had to gently remove the berries from the stems. I then rinsed them with cold water to melt any ice still present in the bag.

The next step is to place the elderberries into the canning jar, and just cover with the vodka. I might have covered a bit more, but it's all good LOL! See below....

Nicely covered with the vodka!

Here you have the closed jar of the new tincture, brewing. I'll leave it in a cupboard or pantry, and In about 6 weeks, I'll strain the elderberries out through cheesecloth, and then I'll have a fresh batch of elderberry tincture! If you've ever heard of Sambucol, which is now available here in the U.S., this is basically the same thing and made at a fraction of the cost, with no preservatives necessary!

I hope this helps you all in your homesteading adventure. Please let me know if you try this!

Blessings, Fiona