It's seriously insane, how much pure extract costs -- and dude, if you think vanilla's expensive? Try almond! My mom and stepdad went to the Bahamas a year and a half ago, and my mom brought me, my sister and herself each a *huge* bottle of pure vanilla extract (500ml). It'll be ages before I have to buy any again, and I'm grateful because OI with the expensive, yes.

When I ran out last year the price of the same large container I'd bought a few years prior went from $9.99 (for 750 ml or 1 litre, I can't remember which) to $32.99. Now that's some inflation! I bought the artificial too and every time I use it I can hear Martha Stewart's voice ragging about never use the crappy artificial stuff.

Don't know if you have a Costco near you, or if yours carries the same stuff that mine does, but I just picked up a good-sized bottle of real pure vanilla extract there for $5! :)

Ugh. I buy Madagascar Vanilla because I know it's about the only export that supports the island's economy, and it's soooo expensive. It's good thing I only use one small jar a year.

You can find it in the grocery store sometimes, and always in places like Whole Foods or Trader Joes. If you don't have any stores like that around, William-Sonoma always has it in stock. A friend of mine was in Peace Corps in Madagascar and has guilted my into always buying it because their economy depends on vanilla.

Dude, it's so easy to make--get three vanilla beans and a pint bottle of good, dark rum. Put the beans in the rum. Shake it a little every day for two weeks.

"For a strong extract, use a high proof of alcohol and scrape the seeds from the bean. For a weaker extract, use a lesser proof of alcohol and soak beans intact." (That last line and the general recipe were stolen from the thefrugalshopper.com.)

The vanilla beans are a little pricey, but on the other hand you end up with a pint of vanilla, enough to last years and years, and it's way yummy, better than storebought...

Recipe here (I should have posted the link earlier):

http://www.thefrugalshopper.com/articles/vanilla.shtml

The beans aren't cheap, but you're making 10 or 15 times the amount of vanilla you would buy in a store, at least.

I had to buy vanilla beans for a recipe a couple of years ago. Two beans? $14.

Ouch.

Ahahaha, the worst part was, the recipe didn't turn out and I had to chuck the entire thing! At least it only used one of the beans (they only came in packages of two. I'd much rather have forked over $7 for just one!).

The only place around here I could even _find_ vanilla beans was Bulk Barn, and they were so dear they kept them behind the tills, presumably so people wouldn't steal them. I had to ask the cashier if they carried them, because I didn't see them anywhere, and she then produced them from her drawer.

I see your four JCs and raise you an AJ. ;)

I know how you feel! I want to work with pure vanilla but man so expensive!

I don't think I've ever used real vanilla or ever saw my mum use it -- I expect that price tag is why. O_o

Sounds to me like a fine excuse to head to sunny, warm Mexico. ;-)