DIY Strawberry & Vanilla Extract

• 1oz of freeze-dried strawberries
• 8oz of vodka (35%-50% alcohol content which is 70-100 proof.)
• 1 vanilla bean

Instructions:

1. Add 1oz of broken/crumbled freeze-dried fruit into a glass jar, 8oz or larger.
1. It may be necessary to break and crumble your freeze-dried fruit to make sure it fits into the jar and also to ensure that the spirit covers it entirely. Most people prefer using crumbled fruit pieces so the spirit has more surface area contact with the fruit for faster extraction.  
2. Add 8oz of your favorite spirit. Light spirits are recommended.
1. Some of the fruit pieces may float and that is OK. 
3. We recommended adding 1 whole vanilla bean to the jar, folded or tied in a knot to ensure it is fully submerged. Set it on top of the fruit.
1. The vanilla works as a binder to both soften the bite of the spirit and blend the spirit and the fruit together beautifully. 
2. This is another great extract that also pairs well with 1 or 2 broken cinnamon sticks for an added kick of flavor.
4. Close the lid and store in a cool/dark place for 8 weeks. The fruit will often turn to a dark brown color, and that is just fine. 
5. After 8 weeks, pour the extract through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the fruit chunks, crumbs and particles and to firmly press out the extract from the fruit. 
6. IMPORTANT NOTE: Keep in mind that freeze-dried fruit will act like a sponge. It will absorb a lot of the alcohol. So you will need to spend some time pressing every ounce of extract liquid from the fruit through the strainer, like you would press a sponge. Even then, you will notice that you may only have 4-6 ounces of finished extract after starting with 8oz of alcohol, and that is OK. 
7. For a double-fold, extremely sweet taste, repeat the steps above a second time, but make sure you top off the alcohol after the first extraction so you begin your second extraction with 8 full ounces of spirit. Just like the first extraction, the second extraction may only yield 4-6oz of finished extract that will be extremely sweet. 
8. Keep the vanilla bean in the jar as long as you wish, or until it is no longer submerged. Then remove it to make vanilla powder, vanilla sugar or to start a mother jar. 

Once you make your first extract, you will find that there are countless other extract-making applications and your journey into the extract-making world begins. Visit our extract-recipe center and our vanilla extract how-to guide center to learn valuable information to make sure each extract turns out great! 

Other uses of freeze-dried fruits:

• Healthy snacks
• Trail mix
• Garnish on frostings/pastries
• Fruit smoothy 
• Added in cereal
• And much more.