Have you bought vanilla beans from Amazon?

I bought some in 2013 from Vanilla Products USA via Amazon. I bought a lot more than I needed (first time making/using real vanilla), so I still have some in a vacuum bag in the deepest part of the freezer. The beans were plump when they arrived and smelled divine.

They are amazing! I took a glass water bottle with a tight sealing cap, chopped up several beans, and added them and vodka to the glass bottle. I am still using the same beans, I just top the bottle off when I've used a bit. My DD loves it, too, and refills her bottle every time she's home. I'm assuming she's using it for baking and not vanilla martinis!

Marcy

I've heard using spiced rum is yummy too. Can wait to try home made vanilla!

You totally should. It's so easy. You'll never want to use store bought vanilla again, but you won't need to because you can almost replenish your home made stash indefinitely.

I've purchased from Vanilla Products, as well. Wonderful beans. If you haven't bought beans in a few years, though, be prepared for sticker shock. I buy 2 pounds of grade B beans every other year, and the last time I bought them, the price had DOUBLED from the previous purchase. I read up on it, and of course it's a supply and demand issue, but dang! I don't even see one-lb packs on Amazon so that maybe tells you how expensive they are right now.

Does Penzey's Spices have vanilla beans?

I've bought from vanilla products USA either on Amazon or directly from their site. Penzey's has vanilla beans but they're more expensive. I buy grade b beans to make extract and have often gotten some free beans with my purchase from vanilla products USA. The grade b beans are a little cheaper and work great.