Looking for Gluten Free Vanilla?

Are you looking for a vanilla extract that you can be sure is gluten free and does not cost an arm and a leg? Try making your own. It is easy to do and isn't all that expensive. Recently I did some checking into making my own vanilla extract. I was worried about how to know if the vodka at the stores is gluten free. They don't have the same labeling laws for alcohol as they do for foods. I googled gluten free vodka. I found a site that talks about different alcohols that are ok for celiac's to have. It stated that all vodkas are gluten free. Since vodka is a very popular choice for making vanilla I could be sure what I make is safe. There are lots of places on line to get vanilla beans. I got mine at my local Costco for a very reasonable price. They came in a package of 10 beans. I took the standard 750ml bottle of Vodka (you can use the cheap stuff for this) and split 8 beans down the center leaving 1 inch of bean still connected at one end and put them in the bottle. That is it. Now all you have to do is put it in a cool dark place, shake it up once a week and in about 8 weeks you will have your own very tasty vanilla extract. The nice thing is you can leave your beans in and keep adding vodka as you use your vanilla and it will replenish itself. It won't go bad because of the alcohol. The beans will eventually dissolve in the alcohol. You do end up with flecks swimming around in the vodka and that is ok. In fact that is the good stuff. If you don't need that much vanilla, you could always pour it into smaller bottles add a bit of bean to each one and give them as gifts. Or just make less. The recipe is about 3 beans per cup of vodka. You just want to have it in a container that the vodka will cover the bean.

Also rum is good for making vanilla extract and is also gluten free. If you add 1 teaspoon dark rum per cup of vodka it will add a bit of sweetness to your vanilla extract.

http://www.celiacs.com/ is where I got the information on gluten free alcohol.