wow, what a nice surprise, I can imagine that wonderful smell..... !!

Oh yUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, my favourite smell is vanilla! (I wear vanilla perfume and use vanilla soap :-) ) Lucky you! What a nice thing to do, Diana.

Good Lord, look at those vanilla beans! Where the heck did you get those, Diana?

Sweet...... very nice surprise!

Nancy

Oh, what a wonderful surprise! I love vanilla! You'll have enough beans to last you for awhile now. Very thoughtfull Diana!

Shelley

What a fabulous gift! I know you will put it to good use, Ann!

Tracey

Awww...something sweet for someone sweet, from someone sweet.

Sweeeeet!

Diana, that is one way-cool gift. Ann, I know you're going to make good use of that vanilla. Lucky you, and lucky Moe!

Mmmm, I think I smell something vanilla-y cooking right now! It's such a soothing aroma! That's a neat gift!

How nice. I imagine that is some good vanilla.

Ann, I can't wait to hear or see what you make.

OOoooh I bet that's delicious! Good for you Ann!
Way to go Diana! That was nice.

Ann.....Your Welcome !!! You can thank Ann ( Spacific ) for the bottle. As you can see I wanted to send you a large bottle of Vanilla, so after I used up Ann's Olive Oil ( by the way.... that Olive Oil was Fantastic ), I reused the bottle. Hey....I recycled...so you can Thank Ann ( Spacific) for the perfect bottle that I put the Vanilla in !!! Diana55

Diana: could you share where you found so many vanilla beans? Did you go to Morroco or something? Rachelellen also wanted to know.

arline

Yum - the first thing I thought of when I saw all those vanilla beans was burying a couple of them in my sugar canister to make vanilla sugar. The vanilla extract makes a wonderful, thoughtful gift, from one forum friend to another. I've often wanted to try making my own vanilla. Enjoy it all, Ann, and way to go Diana:-)

DONNA

And no skellies......lol! Perfect surprise for you Ann...I can't wait to see your next baking adventure pic. Very cool and thoughtful Diana.

David

Oh, lovely!

Diana, do tell where you found such nice beans. The last few I've gotten haven't looked anywhere near that plump and fresh.

What a wonderful gift! So, Diana, are you keeping the source a secret? Inquiring minds want to know.

Ann, I'm eager to see what you do with the vanilla.

Sally

awwww - how sweet! I have never seen so many gorgeous vanilla beans! Very nice.

Stacy

Diana55,
Having just paid a small fortune for vanilla beans, I too am wondering where you found such a huge stash! Maybe when we head up to BC this summer, we can make a trade... more lemons for vanilla beans?

Ann_T,
Just in case you're looking for a recipes for those amazing beans, I made this over the weekend... it got raves at the party.

Melon and Blueberry Coupé with White Wine, Vanilla & Mint
From EpicuriousÂ
Servings: Serves 6.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 1/3 cups cantaloupe cubes (about 1/2 melon)
2 1/3 cups honeydew cubes (about 1/2 small melon)
2 1/3 cups watermelon cubes (about 1/4 small melon)
3 cups fresh blueberries (about 1/12 half-pint baskets)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

Combine 1/2 cup wine and sugar in small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves and syrup is hot, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes. Remove vanilla bean from syrup.

Combine all fruit in large bowl. Add mint and remaining 1 cup wine to sugar syrup. Pour over fruit. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Spoon fruit and some syrup into large stemmed goblets and garnish with mint leaves.

I've made it before, and for a small group, I like to just use honeydew balls and blueberries. The bright green with purple makes a beautiful, colorful and refreshing presentation!

Wow, what a nice gift, it's nearly impossible to find vanilla beans here, and when I do, they're expensive. I usually have to drive to Grand Rapids and hit Penzey's!

What a nice gift, I'll bet Ann T's house smells good. Odd how she just happened to have a bottle of vodka sitting around. (grin)

Annie

Thanks for the recipe Ann. And thank you for sending Diana the olive oil so she had the perfect bottle for her Vanilla extract.

I've never seen Vanilla beans this fresh either.

Annie, Thanks to Diana, I now had a good use to put the Vodka to or it would be sitting around here forever.

I used one the beans last night to make Oatmeal cookies. After I scraped out the seeds (so moist) I added the rest of the bean to a jar of vanilla sugar that I had started quite a while ago.

Ann

Oh! My! G!!! Yummmmmmm...

I bought them on E-Bay....from

What a sweet and lovely gift. I have only bought vanilla beans a few at a time but wouldn't it be wonderful to have such a luxurious stash!

Right now I'd be happy with ONE vanilla oatmeal cookie with my latte.

Lee

Oh, how special that looks! Diana, have you tried this firm's vanilla extract, or do you always make your own?

No happylady, I have not tried their Vanilla Extract, because they do not ship it to Canada. They will ship beans, but not extract. I think it might be illegal, or something. I do not know why, but I have been making my own, since I found out how easy it is. Diana55 P.S...Pure Vanilla Extract purchased in stores has alot of food coloring in it, and making your own is so much better.

Wow! I had no idea you could buy vanilla beans like that on ebay. I'm looking at
"30 Certified Organic Tahitian Vanilla Beans 5 - 6" long"
that are definitely in my budget.

I want to make my own vanilla extract now too.

That is such a nice gift you sent!

Yea Ann!

Diana, as a volunteer cook at an alcohol rehab center, I can tell you... vanilla extract, can make one tipsy with its high alcohol content. We had to keep it locked up. So, I assume they don't want it to fall into the wrong hands is why it cannot be shipped. And could be seen as sneaking alcohol over the border, big no-no.

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!

What a lovely gift!

So, how do you store vanilla beans so that they stay so nice?

Sally