Using a sharp knife, make a slit in each vanilla bean from top to bottom.
Scrape out the insides and put everything in the bottle.
Place the vanilla beans in a bottle. If some of the beans are too long, cut them in half.
Fill the bottle with rum, enough so that the vanilla beansare completely submerged in the rum.
Leave to infuse for at least 6 months.
Leave vanilla beans inside as you use the vanilla extract ifdesired, adding more as needed to keep the vanilla beans completely submergedin liquid.
Otherwise, remove the vanilla beans and start another bottle. When you start another bottle, add 1 or 2 more beans just to make sure it has as much vanilla flavor as the original bottle.