Do you know what Beavers and Vanilla Extract have in common?

The scent of Vanilla is a classic for many of us...one whiff from the bottle of Vanilla Extract and we are soon swooning in memories of baking, family, holidays, etc.  Vanilla is one of the most popular flavors no matter the occasion or time of year.  Currently, my line of Naturally Luxurious Skin Care uses Bourbon Vanilla Extract as the base scent for 4 Sugar Scrubs and 4 Shower Souffles, so "Naturally" I am interested in where my Vanilla comes from and how it is made.  I must be honest that I do not make the Vanilla Extract that I use in my products, but I do make my own Vanilla Extract for all of my cooking, and I use a very high grade, expensive Vanilla Extract that I carefully have sourced in my products.  I have given my home-made Vanilla Extract as holiday gifts for many years, and this year I decided to make a batch available for sale.  Vanilla Extract can be a very simple product to make - I purchase Tahitian Vanilla Beans and Bourbon Vanilla Beans from Madagascar, and then age them in a proprietary blend of Spiced and Dark Caribbean Rums (looking carefully at the Rums to avoid brands that include "natural flavors" in their ingredients). The alcohol in the Rum, coaxes the flavor out of the 'caviar' that is in the center of the Vanilla Beans (see the beans in the bottle?). The coolest part about this vanilla is that since the beans are still in the bottle, as you use the extract you can add more rum to create more extract!  Also, the longer it ages, the more aromatic and flavorful it becomes.

"Caviar" from inside Vanilla Beans

So, what about the title of this post?  What do Beavers and Vanilla Extract have in common? Vanilla Beans are basically a seed pod of an Orchid Species.  Alcohol is a 'carrier' of the aroma and flavor. Simple right?  Wrong.  This traditional form of making Vanilla Extract can be incredibly expensive (1 pound of Tahitian Vanilla Beans costs $175), so "naturally" big manufacturers have found more 'cost effective' ways of producing Vanilla Extract.

Other than Vanilla made from Vanilla Beans there are two categories of Vanilla Flavoring:  "Artifical" and "Natural."  "Artificial Flavor" is considered "Plant-Based" and "most artificial vanilla products contain 'Vanillin,' which can be produced synthetically from lignin, a natural polymer found in wood.  Most synthetic Vanillin is a byproduct from the pulp used in papermaking, in which the lignin is broken down using sulfites or sulfates" (http://www.ask.com/wiki/Vanilla#Production ). 

"Natural Flavoring" is considered "Non-Plant" flavoring approved by the FDA to be used in food.  "In the US, "Castoreum," or the exudate from the castor sacs of mature Beavers is commonly used in both food and beverages, especially as Vanilla and Raspberry flavoring.  It is also used to flavor some cigarettes and in perfume-making" (http://www.ask.com/wiki/Vanilla#Production ). What is Castoreum?  Well, it is a pungent, brownish, oily substance secreted by the glands in the groin of the beaver used in medicine and in perfumery  (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/castoreum).

If you are looking for a wonderful handmade gift idea for this holiday season, consider making your own home-made Vanilla Extract.  Go to www.beanilla.com for a great selection of beans.  There are many places to order bottles or simply use mason jars.  Or, go to www.laceyhaegen.com to purchase my hand-made Vanilla Extract in an 8oz bottle (a little bigger than the size of your iphone) for $25 per bottle...no mess, no fuss, and already aged for 4 months!  It is simply divine and there are only 15 bottles left!