Vanilla!

Where to start here.

I find many people either intimidated or dismissive of vanilla. Its so easy to pick up at the store. And because so little is used at a time, most don't question what is in the bottle. This is something that I believe we as a society need to focus more on. We need to ask what is in our food, air, and water.

Vanilla is a great place to start on this line of questioning. It has only a few ingredients and is pretty easy to track down. First, you have to figure out what a vanilla bean is. The answer, a type of orchid. Second, where are they found/obtained. This is a little more complicated because vanilla is found all over the world. Most people are familiar with Madagascar vanilla beans. And the best way to obtain them is to contact the farmers directly so that you know how they grow them and pay them what they are worth. This is big because most people in the industry will short change the farmers for a better price. But the farmers deserve to live a good life for the hard work that they do.

Lastly, you need to know how to use them. This is where I come in. I make many vanilla products using good quality and safe ingredients. Currently, I am offering vanilla paste, sugar, salts, and cubes. By fall of next year, my vanilla extract will be ready. As much as I would like to offer it this year, it takes 18-24 months to properly make a good vanilla extract. The extract in the stores usually only sit for 6 months and have sugar in it. A good extract only has vanilla beans and alcohol.

I use good quality ingredients in my products so that you can feel good about putting them into your body. All of my ingredients are organic. Fun fact, almost every vanilla bean on the planet is organic because the plants don't tolerate chemicals. The only thing that isn’t always organic is the alcohol. Some brands are organic but I am not always able to source a purely clean alcohol. In the case I can’t find organic, I pick out the next best I can find.

This year, I have items for individual sale and gift baskets already made up. They make such a great gift for Christmas. Give your loved ones a gifts that says “I care about what goes into your body”. It supports a local person who just wants to put good out into our world. And lets be real, who doesn't love the vanilla taste of a warm from the oven cookie or brownie?

If you would like to purchase something or have a question, you can call, text, or email me. I would love to talk and start building a community connected by a love for our fellow people.