Ladies, Start Your Vanilla!

I've really been enjoying baking with my

"Home-Made Vanilla"
so I think I'll be gifting a lot of it this Christmas.
(that's right--I've started!)
I hope everyone likes it! 

If you'd like to do the same, here's a heads-up:

Start your vanilla now!

Or at least within the next month or so.

Btw, if you click on the above link, make sure to note the 

comments under the post--good info there from some readers.

Thank you for those tips!

Here's another tip:

Use recycled jars.  They're free.
It'll keep less from going to the landfills.
I'm an every-little-bit-matters kind of person.

This bottle used to have olive oil in it.

Instead of tossing it, I saw it's long, thin shape 

and thought it'd be perfect for a vanilla bean.
To clean old labels off, slowly bring bottle to a boil in a covered
pan; shut off heat and allow to sit for a while.
(Yes, there is a chance it may break so do not boil hard!)
Scrape off with a knife or other straight edge.  
Any remaining can be removed with a metal dish scratcher 
while it's still hot.  Top off with a visit to
the dishwasher for a complete cleaning. 

I'm envisioning a printed label, 

and twine tied around it's neck.

These used to be olive jars.

Also thinking about ways to dress these up, 
add labels to the lids, etc.

Another thrifty method would be to use

mason/canning jars like I've done for my own

personal-use batch--in retrospect, I think a pint
would've been plenty for me.  I constantly top it 
 off with vodka so a quart wasn't really necessary.

Look around in your pantry 

and be creative!

Be sure to include an expiration date or log for 

the vanilla bean so that the recipient knows

exactly how long they can continue to replenish

their vanilla with vodka.

Linked to:
My 1929 Charmer