Ever heard of the Forager Chef? He uses woodruff in place of vanilla:
https://foragerchef.com/wild-vanilla-extract/
Not native, but it grows here in the US, even naturalized in many places. Sweet woodruff (galium odorata) is hardy down to zone 4 and its cousin galium triflorum is hardy down to zone 3.
So says the Internet.
I can confirm that Galium Odorata & Galium Triflorum - types of common ‘weed’ you might know as cleavers, make a lovely vanilla replacement.
Possibly even lovelier than vanilla itself, if they grow in your forest as they do in mine. The flavor is a combination of sweet
hay and vanilla. Like the Forager Chef article mentions above, your home will be absolutely invaded by olfactory awesomeness as it dries.
Not all cleavers are Galium Odorata or Triflorum. I can identify the sweet ones now from the smell and number of leaves (6). Also of note: there is some debate about coumarins contained in these plants and possible toxicity - as always, do your own research. For my part I am comfortable using them, and have noticed no ill effects.
So many wonderful flavors in the wilds. Happy exploring!
