If you're a Nutella® lover, the latest food commodities news might be of interest:

There'll soon be a shortage of hazelnuts, due to severe weather in Turkey (a major source of hazelnuts worldwide). And the unending drought in California (another hazelnut source) isn't helping the issue, either.

These weather disasters are causing a spike in hazelnut prices, which means that Nutella® and other foods containing hazlenuts will be either extremely expensive or simply not available. This can also mean it will be difficult finding hazelnuts in our stores for a good long time.

So if you do love this yummy nutty treat, you might want to stock up on hazelnuts as quickly as you can while they're still available and while prices are still fairly reasonable. In the meantime, consider making your own. Start by taking a look at one of my favorite go-to cooking resources to find hazelnut alternatives, the Cook's Thesaurus.

Whenever I've run out of an ingredient I turn to this site, and I highly recommend it. List the food you need in the SEARCH box and up will pop information about the ingredient plus good substitutions for it.

For instance, on Cook's Thesaurus I learned that almonds can be substituted for the hazelnuts needed in homemade Nutella ® with very good success. Reviewers say it's a pretty good version of the popular store-bought stuff. This version is dairy and gluten free, also.

This five-star adaptation calls for one cup of roasted and unsalted nuts (hazelnuts if you can find them, or almonds, walnuts, pecans, or even macadamia nuts), some cocoa powder (to taste, but testers liked the version that used 2½ tablespoons), ¼ cup powdered sugar, and some coconut oil (about a tablespoon works well).

Put all ingredients in a food processor or heavy-duty blender (such as a Blendtec or VitaMix) and puree until you've reached the smoothness you desire. It takes some time, so don't despair or give up. When I made my batch I had to stop my blender and continually scrape down the sides, but the resulting end product was delicious and worth the effort. I also made a batch in my food processor and the same routine was needed.

OK, let's switch gears now with an extra idea: Before we know it, Christmas will be here. How about making batches of homemade Nutella ® and putting it in pretty glass containers to give to favorite friends and co-workers? The stuff will keep a good long time refrigerated, so putting it all together right after Thanksgiving would be a plan.

And along those lines, here's another idea. How about making your own extracts (for your own use and to give as gifts)? Most premade baking extracts are made with artificial flavors and artificial colors. (That's so wrong.) Instead, get some organic herbs and spices and invest a little time and lots of patience. Vanilla can't be made overnight, for instance. Intense potency comes from extracts steeping for a few weeks. The best news? Since extracts are made from alcohol (all extracts are), they keep for a very long time. I'm still using the large bottle of vanilla extract my children gave us two Christmases ago, and it's hands-down the best I've ever had.

To make your own vanilla extract all you need is 5 vanilla beans and a pint of vodka. Split the beans lengthwise, scrape out the insides into a jar larger than a pint, add the cut pods and pour the vodka over it all. Attach a date-label to the jar and place it in a dark and cool spot for three to four weeks-the longer the better.

Finally, how about making your own mint extract? I've had lots of readers tell me they grow their own mint, so why not capitalize on it at Christmastime? Pure mint extract has many uses besides baking. I add it to my GSE kitchen sanitizer-mint is such a refreshing smell and has anti-microbial properties. I soak a cotton ball in it and place it under the front seat in my car. The aroma of mint is energizing and cleansing. I spray it on the insides of my athletic shoes, too.

Of course, none of these ideas is any good if you don't like the smell of mint-I get that. But still, mint extract would make a terrific Christmas present. Here's what you do according to the very capable author of the helpful website, Crafting a Green World:

First, harvest enough mint leaves to fill your airtight container of choice when loosely packed. You can use one variety or several (including peppermint, chocolate mint, and spearmint). Fill a sanitized glass container with leaves you bruise by squeezing, crumpling, or rubbing between your fingers. This is called "muddling" and it allows allow the mint oils to better leach into your pint of vodka. To save time, you may coarsely chop the leaves instead, but not too thinly, because you don't want them to be difficult to sieve out of the vodka.

Don't over-pack your container. If the vodka can't easily reach all of the leaves, then they can't contribute their oils, and if the container is too full of leaves, they may uncrumple over time and sit higher in the container than the level of vodka. Leaves exposed to air at room temperature will spoil, ruining your entire mixture. Let the mixture sit in a cool dark place for 4 weeks or so, then when ready to bottle your extract, pour it through a sieve to remove the mint leaves. And that's it.

I hope you like these ideas-defy the hazelnut shortage by making your own Nutella®, make your own extracts, and get ready for Christmas-all at the same time!