We made a Costco run yesterday and as long as we were there, we decided to throw anything we thought we might need in the near future into the cart. I am a baker and vanilla goes into almost everything I make. It made sense to grab another bottle, and as I did, I marveled over the price. Marveled may not be the right word. My reaction was along the lines of, "Whoa!" Dan came up as I was putting the bottle in the cart and said, "Why don't you get two." And I answered that spending fifty dollars on two bottles of vanilla seemed a little much. His eyebrows shot up!
Last night as we finished putting things away, the subject of vanilla came up again so I decided to google why the price was so high. It was interesting reading! This article by Business Insider is two years old but it covers a number of the reasons as well as explaining the growth process of the vanilla bean.
Who knew vanilla, at least at that time and probably still, was worth more by weight than silver?
I feel fortunate that I can afford the real thing. I know my mom was not a fan of imitation vanilla, and so far I've been able to avoid having to use it. Maybe I need to branch out in my choice of extracts, though. I do have almond, lemon, orange, butter, and peppermint in my cupboard. Oh, and maple! ♥
Last night as we finished putting things away, the subject of vanilla came up again so I decided to google why the price was so high. It was interesting reading! This article by Business Insider is two years old but it covers a number of the reasons as well as explaining the growth process of the vanilla bean.
Who knew vanilla, at least at that time and probably still, was worth more by weight than silver?
I feel fortunate that I can afford the real thing. I know my mom was not a fan of imitation vanilla, and so far I've been able to avoid having to use it. Maybe I need to branch out in my choice of extracts, though. I do have almond, lemon, orange, butter, and peppermint in my cupboard. Oh, and maple! ♥
I can't/won't do without real vanilla either, and it IS expensive. My mother wasn't a fan of imitation vanilla either, but I have taken to using it for "run of the mill" cookies. Mother only used as much as a recipe called for, or maybe even less, while I will sometimes add more. Mike makes homemade ice cream and has discovered that there's no substitute for real vanilla. After much study, I recently purchased McCormick's vanilla through Amazon.
ReplyDeleteI think all extracts are rather expensive now. Well, spices are expensive, for that matter. And then there's molasses ...
(I think if Mike had come along and said, "Why not get two," I would have said, "Why not?")
Great post! Thanks!
You must have gotten a good price at Amazon because I looked and it's $36 now. Makes the $25 look like a deal! Maybe I should have gone for two. :-)
DeleteNo, I didn't get a good deal. I was just desperate for a bottle of the real thing. I paid $36. If Costco had it for $25, that IS a good deal. Be sure to check on your next trip. I think Costco's price goes up and down.
DeleteI also bought a smaller bottle at Albertsons, thinking to stave off my need, but when I did the math, I realized that was a mistake. And it was gone in a flash.
I haven't been to Costco since before the "stay-at-home" was ordered, not caring to brave the crowd, stand in line, etc. Perhaps we should go.
There weren't many people when we went and the aisles were pretty clear of people, and of course they are wider than most grocery stores. I don't think we even stood in line to checkout. They also clean all the carts before they are used again--they have a section for used carts and for clean with people out working on the used ones.
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