Greg -

One bean (not split) per bottle of 80-proof vodka (and not a large bottle either!) will give you a lighter vanilla flavoring in 30 days.

By placing a couple of beans (split) in a bottle of 80-proof vodka you will get a stronger vanilla flavor in 30 days.

Just place in a cool dry place - like your pantry.

A friend of mine will split 3 beans and place them in a bottle of vodka. When she gets down to about half the bottle, she adds more vodka. She keeps vanilla beans going for years. I won't do it that way - after a while they lose their flavor. But then again - I bake much more than she does.

Vanilla beans are quite pricey but I still prefer to do it myself.

If you are planning on doing baking for the holidays - I would make it now - then you would be all set for fall and winter baking.

Why does it take 9 months? Does it need to ferment or something, like wine? I've never heard of that 9 months thing, except for producing babies.

I only use genuine vanilla extract - it's way better than imitation.

I totally agree with going with the real thing!!!!!

That's a good question Peach. Oddly enough I recently went on a wild goose chase to hunt down pure vanilla extract with no sugar added. I'd originally thought that all pure vanilla extract was merely booze and vanilla bean. I was wrong and it took my quite a while to find it sans sugar. One of my daughters is on a special diet and can only ingest honey or natural sugars.

But I digress! I have always found the pure as opposed to the flavouring to have more depth of flavour.