Homemade Vanilla Extract

Vanilla extract is one of those things that seems mysterious and magical, but is actually ridiculously simple to make at home. Order a pound of Grade B vanilla beans from an online seller and half your work is done. Split the beans, plunge them into booze and time does the rest. This recipe comes to us from Marisa McClellan, author of Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round.