Foodie Freebie Friday: Nielsen-Massey Vanilla

This week is a Foodie Freebie that's close to home... literally! Prior to moving to Chicago, I grew up in the far north suburb of Waukegan, IL up until college. It wasn't until a few years ago, while living in Chicago, that I learned my hometown was also home to the popular Nielsen Massey vanilla empire. If you're a serious baker, I'd expect you to be pretty familiar with this brand of vanilla products!

Nielsen-Massey is a family owned and managed business dedicated to producing pure premium vanilla products since 1907. They are corporately headquartered in Waukegan, IL, which supplies vanilla products to North America, South America, Central America, and the Pacific Rim. So if you live in these specific areas and purchase Nielsen-Massey vanilla products, you can be sure that they came from the Chicagoland area... specifically my hometown! For some great information on the history of vanilla and details of the Nielsen-Massey product line, check out their website.

This week's foodie freebie is for the bakers out there and is also in honor of my hometown of Waukegan, IL. If you haven't guessed by now...

Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Trio
descriptions of the vanillas below are from Nielsen-Massey

Mexican Vanilla Extract - Vanilla is actually native to Mexico, and is known by its creamy, spicy flavor that has a special affinity for dishes that contain chocolate, cinnamon and other warm spices. When properly processedd, Mexican vanilla is of exceptionally high quality and flavor. Nielsen-Massey imports only the finest Mexican vanilla beans, grown by skilled producers that carefully harvest and cure every pod for the finest flavor.

Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract - The world's finest and most consistent vanilla comes from Madagascar. Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla from Nielsen-Massey has a creamy, sweet, velvety flavor that is perfectly suited for a range of products from baked goods to ice creams, salad dressings to barbeque sauces. Madagscar Bourbon vanilla does not have anything to do with the American whiskey of the same name, but is rather named for the Bourbon Islands off the coast of Africa. Madagascar supplies more than 60% of the world's vanilla.

Tahitian Pure Vanilla - Tahitian vanilla beans are known for their aromatic, fruity. anisic-like flavor profile. Tahitian Pure vanilla is especially symbiotic with fruit-based products such as fruited yogurt and sorbet.

I hope the winner of this giveaway will have a fun vanilla adventure! Here's how you can get your hands on it...


Some guidelines:
- Giveaway is only for those who live in the United States. My apologies to my international readers!
- You must have a valid email address so that you can be contacted if you win.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment about:
- Your hometown. Is it known for anything special? Maybe a specific type of food? Landmark? Headquarters to a well known company? Any interesting facts about your hometown? I've love to hear about where you're from!

Deadline: Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12 midnight CST.

Winner will be randomly chosen by Random.Org's Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Friday, January 23, 2009. Good luck!