The Mustard

Mustard isn’t a glamorous condiment. Pretty plain jane and usually ignored. But when you start checking labels you start to realize that ugly stuff can turn up anywhere. Even in mustard. I thought I would give mustard making a try. Turns out making mustard is super easy. You need either a food processor or a blender. I used the food processor but I think the blender might be a better choice.

I followed a recipe from Living Without magazine.

1/2 cup beer. I used gluten-free. Apple cider would be nice too.  1/2 cup whole mustard seeds. 1/3 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar. 1 tsp salt. 1/4 tsp ground pepper. 1/8 tsp of each cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg and allspice. Pinch brown sugar. 2 tbsp maple syrup, the recipe said optional, maple syrup is never optional in my book.

Mix all that up and let it sit for 12 hours or so. Then blend it until smooth.

It tasted pretty strong originally but after a week it mellowed and tastes great.

Mustard, in a healthy form, is good for us. There is a laundry list of benefits. Most interestingly is speeding up our metabolisms and helping digestion by increasing saliva production. I also read that it could prevent migraines. Worth a shot if you do suffer from migraines.  Mustard seeds are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. I get the omega’s all mixed up but regardless it’s good news.

I found some other recipes that looked tasty

Mustard with white wine by Emeril Lagasse

Dilled honey mustard and sundried tomato basil.

There’s no real chemistry involved, add and swap ingredients and see what you create.

Any mustard makers out there? Think you might give it a try?