Tag: vanilla

Homemade Gifts for the Holidays

~ Crystal Sands ~ 4 Comments

Every year during the holiday season, I see the memes on social media that focus on normalizing homemade gifts, and they make me hopeful. Truly, there is nothing better than a homemade gift, one that is made with love but is also useful in some way. I guess that’s a caveat I have about homemade for the holidays–usefulness goes a long way in my book. Of course, some things are just special even if they aren’t super useful, but if I can manage to make a special gift that is also useful in some way, I am most pleased.

With that in mind, I wanted to do a round-up of homemade gift ideas and instructions from the journal over the years. Whether you can eat it, wear it, or light a room with it, we have some great homemade gift ideas for this holiday season. I hope this list inspires you in some way to give a lovely, useful, homemade gift this year.

Just click on the blue title to be taken to the directions.

Easy Cranberry Bread

I have given this as a gift to rave reviews. It pairs perfectly with good salted butter, so I will buy some of the really good butter and put that with the bread in a cute little bag. It’s so good and such a treat warmed on a cold winter’s day.

The Best Homemade Cookie Box

You can substitute any cookies you like, but a box of well-made cookies with enough to share with others is such a special treat. I highly recommend those Starry Night cookies!

Beeswax Candles in Up-cycled Jars

What is better than the gift of light? These beeswax candles are easy to make and are so simple and good. They last for close to 40 hours, are unscented, and the beeswax is actually a bit of an air cleanser. You can add scent by adding some essential oil, but this recipe, as-is, uses some organic coconut oil, which gives the candles this very slight sweet smell.

Box of Fat Archie Cookies

This recipe is the most popular on the site, especially during this time of year. It gets thousands of hits, probably because these cookies are so comforting and cozy.

Old Maine Flag Quilt

This quilt is relatively simple to make and can be made in about a week with even a busy schedule. It’s a great idea for anyone in your life who loves Maine or that old Maine flag.

A Jar of Jam

Even if you don’t have fresh berries right now, you can use frozen, and jam on toast or fresh bread is such a special treat in the long winter–kind of this sweet reminder of the summer. You can also make Christmas jam, which I have not done yet but am about to try today.

A Sheet Music or Story Ornament

This one is one that is just sweet and meaningful. If you have special ornaments that have stayed with you throughout your life then you know how meaningful something like this can be. Whether you are using music your child wrote or a poem or story they wrote to make an ornament for grandparents, this is wonderful homemade gift to consider.

Homemade Vanilla in a Beautiful Bottle

You will have to plan ahead for this one, but if you make it now, the vanilla will be perfect for next year’s holiday season. Homemade vanilla is delicious and saves a lot of money. In a beautiful gift bottle, a bottle of homemade vanilla is the perfect gift for the baker in your life.

Other Ideas

This year, I am giving the gift of seeds from Ron’s garden and homemade hot chocolate, complete with vintage thrift store mugs and homemade marshmallows. Other ideas include a poem, a letter, a photo book, and if you know how to crochet or knit, well, you have all the power.

I would love to know if any of these ideas speak to you or if you have any homemade ideas you are willing to share with readers. What are you best homemade gift ideas?

photo credit: Sweta Meininger, Unsplash

Making Your Own Vanilla

~ Crystal Sands ~ 11 Comments

Day 246 of 365

I did not know until recently that there are different types of vanilla. Last year, unable to locate some Madagascar vanilla extract (this is the vanilla usually in the stores), I tried some Mexican vanilla extract. I like it a lot. There’s a richness to the flavor, but I found that I missed the Madagascar vanilla when I was looking for a lighter flavor in something I had baked. Additionally, Mexica vanilla is darker and richer in color, which can be great, but is tough when you are working with white frosting or glazes.

I decided I would make some vanilla extract myself. I had always heard it was fairly easy but just took a long time. In the summer, I bought vanilla beans and beautiful bottles for making vanilla. My plan was to allow about six months and then give some beautiful bottles of vanilla away as gifts for the holidays.

Today, somehow, in the middle of January, I am just now making that vanilla, but I figure it will be perfect for holiday gifts next year. I have labels too. I just have to find them. But the bottles are so beautiful I am going to have to think hard about putting labels on them. Aren’t they lovely?

In additional to being far more beautiful than the bottles of vanilla I have always bought at the grocery store, making vanilla is practical, it turns out. The vodka was pretty inexpensive, and the vanilla beans that I ordered from an online company, were on sale. The bottles were a splurge, but you can use a mason jar. And it turns out that your homemade vanilla can kind of have an infinite life–at least this is what I read. You can use some and just add some vodka as you go. Then, periodically, add a new bean to your bottle. This seems like a wonderful plan to me.

To make your own vanilla, you just need 3 to 5 vanilla beans, depending upon the size of your bottle or bottles. I used 5 in each of my bottles because these bottles are pretty big. I wanted to make LOTS of vanilla. You simply split the beans and remove the seeds by scraping them out (save the seeds for baking something else). I read in one place to rinse the beans, so I did; however, I read other recipes and instructions that said this was not necessary. Put the scraped beans in your jar or bottle, fill with vodka, close it all up. Store it in a relatively cool, relatively dark place and shake every few days.

I have read it can take as little as 2 months for your vanilla to be ready, but I am in a Facebook group for vanilla (I know, there’s a Facebook group that does nothing but talk about vanilla), and some people there said to aim for 6 months and longer to ensure best quality.

I’m going to see how it goes with mine. Right now, I am just admiring the beauty of it and feeling thankful I finally had the time to make this. I am planning to make a few more, but I need to get more vodka.