Sing a song of mustard.

She Said:

I have been making my own mustard for a few years now. Ever since I joined the One Local Summer Challenge (sponsored by Farm to Philly) in 2008 and I needed some mustard for a meal I was making. I couldn't find locally prepared mustard, so I made my own Dijon with local wine. That one wasn't my favorite, but at least it was locally prepared - in my own kitchen!

Since then, I have experimented with different acids and spices. I believe I made my two best so far last week. Here are my recipes.

Yellow Mustard

2 tbsp. yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp. organic spicy brown mustard seeds
1½ tbsp. water

Grind mustard seeds in a coffee grinder as fine as you want them. Mix with water to make a paste. Let sit for 10 minutes.

2 tbsp. citrus champagne vinegar
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. turmeric

Mix together. Let sit, covered, on the counter for as long as it takes to mellow to your liking.

Spicy Brown Mustard

2 tbsp. yellow mustard seeds
2 tbsp. organic spicy brown mustard seeds
2 tbsp. water

Grind mustard seeds in a coffee grinder as fine as you want them. Mix with water to make a paste. Let sit for 10 minutes.

2 tbsp. red raspberry vinegar
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ginger
¼ tsp. black pepper

Mix together. Let sit, covered, on the counter for as long as it takes to mellow to your liking.

I let these both sit for about 5 days, but it can take up to 10 days or so to mellow. I also added more vinegar to the yellow mustard on day 4 because it was too thick and pasty. Once the mustard is to your taste, you put them in the refrigerator to stop the process. They keep for a long, long time (as mustards do) but we find it difficult to not run out of them quickly. We usually find recipes that call for mustard just so we can keep enjoying them in different ways.

Next time, I think I'll experiment with mixing different kinds of vinegar. Should be fun!