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Even though Hawaii is in a tropical growing region, I never really thought of it as a producer of vanilla beans. That perception was corrected as I read about Hawaiian vanilla on VanillaReview.com.
Apparently there are only a couple of farms that produce vanilla beans in Hawaii, which is probably why I've never heard of it. However, the vanilla being reviewed sounded so amazing. I was drooling over the images of the vanilla pods (the pods are the long brown outsides, while the beans are the small, gooey specks on the inside) from Hua Hua Frams, on the big island of Hawaii.
As a pastry cook, I've scraped pounds (that's actually a lot) of vanilla beans out of the pods over the years. I pretty much only see the large, vacuum-packed bags of Madagascar or Tahitian beans meant for production kitchens. However, these Hawaiian beans are enough to make me want to bake at home or make my own vanilla extract or just find some way to use them. If you're interested in the Hua Hua Farms beans, you need to act soon, as they go fast. You can find out more about that from VanillaReview.com.
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6-18-2008 @7:24PM Ben said... Vanilla extract is REALLY easy to make and is a LOT cheaper than buying it from a store. (However itcan take a lot of time.) My wife and I made it as a Christmas gift for friends and family one year. I think we make about 4 liters of Vanilla extract and it cost something like 4 dollars a bottle. (And that included the cost of the glass bottle we put it in.)
Plus it's always cool to have a huge seal-able bottle of vodka and vanilla in your pantry.
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6-18-2008 @7:47PM OneIrishRover said... I find the best place to buy vanilla beans is on eBay. The prices are great and I have always been pleased with what I was sent.
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6-19-2008 @2:38AM Ian said... Vanilla extract is really easy to make, just be sure you use at least 1 oz (~30 grams) of vanilla beans per 1 cup (250ml) of 40%+ alcohol. This is slightly more than the FDA legal requirement for vanilla extract, but home soaking is less efficient than industrial percolation processes.
There is an illustrated tutorial at vanillareview.com
PS. Yeah! I'm on Slashfood. I LOVE this blog, keep up the good work.
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6-19-2008 @1:02PM IVIozartsGhost said... After looking at that (almost) aromatic website, I'm very tempted to start making my own vanilla extract for personal use and gifts. Anyone have any tips?
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7-26-2008 @3:52PM Springinhetveld said... Vanilla beans from Hawaii are new to me too! The look great but I guess they are a bit expensive... Vanilla requires a lot of labour and I wages in Hawaii are certainly much higher compared to the "normal" vanilla producing countries.
Nice recipe. I especially like the fact that it uses both vanilla extract as well as vanilla beans! Usually only one of the two is used.
Anyway, if you want to learn more about Vanilla in general, Vanilla Beans, or Vanilla Extracts in particular please visit my web site.
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