VANILLA BEANS

[NorthernWinos]

I picked up some Vanilla Beans at a Food Co-op yesterday, they had them in a plastic bag 2 beans / $1.04 plus 10% to members.


They are nice and fresh, very soft and pliable....I bought a few bags and want to keep them as fresh as possible...Should I freeze them?????? Or...just leave them in the cupboard in their plastic bags...Or...make lots of wine real fast????

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

Option #3 sounds right to me

 

[Dean]

I keep mine sealed in a bag, then sealed in a jar too. They keep for a long time.

Sadly, the place I used buy my beans from has closed. They used to be at http://www.vanillabeans4u.com and they would sell either 25 madagascar or 25 bourbon beans for $12.00. I like the bourbon beans as those are the original vanilla beans. They are quite a bit more heady and strong, while the madagascar/tahitian beans are more flowery and fragrant with a more delicate taste.

 

[s.arkvinomaker]

How interesting. Have you ever made wine from these before Northern Winos? How does it taste? I would think it would work well as something to add to another wine as a side flavor.

 

[Wade E]

I added a few into a Nut Brown Ale and it really gave it a nice after taste and smooth mouth feel.

 

[NorthernWinos]

I have been adding them to my fruit/red grape concentrate wines....Raspberry/Red Grape...Strawberry/Red Grape....Chokecherry/Red Grape...and to the Nearly Wild Grape wine....etc. 2 in the primary gives a hunt of vanilla...nice along with toasted oak.


I added some to a Crabapple/Apple wine and over did it....Put them in the primary as well as the secondary carboy...It was a bit too much on that batch.

 

[masta]

From what I have read vanilla beans should be stored in a cool dark place and tightly sealed in plastic to prevent them from drying out.


Never refrigerated or frozen!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Will keep them in the pantry...tho it is fairly warm there...Maybe the root cellar and put the bags in a jar.

 

[R.E.T.]

I CANT BELEIVE THE PRICE OF YOUR VANILLA BEANS.
HERE IN WASHING STATE ONE BEAN IN A SPICE BOTTLE
IS $18.50, I WOULD LIKE TO USE VANILLA BEANS EVER SO OFTEN
BUT NOT A THAT PRICE.

 

[afireguy]

Wow, I jusy spent $7.20 yeaterday at whole foods in Dallas.
Now heres theQuestion though. I soaked this bean in 10% abv wine for
a while and nuked it, to warm it up and then poored half in one half batch
of cheery mead and half in the other half of cherry mead. It was at this time thatI accidentley poured the whole bean in the must. Could not fine it to retrive it. This morning I have a very active fermentation in that bucket.
Now do I need to but some canp tabs in this bucket to make sure the bean will not cause a bad thing to happen to my must?
Thanks,Mark

 

[masta]

If there was any bad bacteria on the bean it would have been transfered to the wine you soaked it in which you added to both batches.


But I would not be concerned about it since the honey has plenty of anti-bacterial properties.

 

[afireguy]

Thanks Masta,
Ill just let her go for about three weeks and go from there....

,

 

[masta]

Ok...how active is the fermentation and foaming?

 

[afireguy]

Ones making gray foam pretty active the others not doing anything....
I realized,that last night I was in such a hurry to get it done before the Dallas Greenbay, game that I pitched the Yeast while the Must was still very warm....one had cooled the other was still hot.....So this morning I found and removed the bean ..added nutrenits, engizer, a little acid blend, peptic enzymesand tannins and then repitched the Blanch in both containers....

...hopefully that due it