Now is the time of year that many folks start thinking about making homemade gifts for family and friends. It won’t be long before my wife and I start making soap again for gifts and for our own use. And I’m guessing we will be making some lotions and other homemade potions too. But I’ve got another suggestion for a unique homemade gift that is surprisingly easy to make and incredibly tasty too: mustard!
If you don’t know already, this popular condiment is made from ground up mustard seeds, which are the dried seeds of several different species of mustard plants. Mustard seeds also come in various colors, with black and brown seeds generally being hotter and spicier than the yellow ones. Mustard seeds are available in specialty stores as well as by mail order (I got mine from Penzeys). You can also sometimes find them in ethnic groceries, since the whole seeds are popular in many of the world’s cuisines.
ingredients for yellow mustard (click on any image to enlarge)
Last year I made a couple of different homemade mustards. One was a Spicy Brown mustard and the other was a Dijon. The Spicy Brown was my favorite, and my wife loved it too. It had a great flavor and texture, and I wound up making another batch of it again a few months ago when the first batch ran out. This year I decided to branch out and try another mustard recipe. I wound up making a mustard using only yellow seeds that is a bit milder than the Spicy Brown Mustard, but still tastes great and can be customized to suit your own tastes. The seeds are soaked for 2 days in vinegar, which helps to soften up the seeds for processing.
soaking mustard seeds in vinegar
Don’t think ‘ballpark mustard’ when you see this recipe. This mustard has a nice grainy texture and a lovely taste that is mild but definitely not boring. Use a good quality vinegar since it will be a big taste component of the finished product. My recipe calls for using turmeric and allspice, but you can experiment with different spices to make a unique one-of-a-kind mustard you can call your own.
Homemade Yellow Mustard
Homemade Yellow Mustard
adapted from this recipe
1/2 cup yellow mustard seeds
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp turmeric
1 dash ground allspice
1. Soak the mustard seeds in the vinegar and water. Cover and let sit for 2 days at room temperature.
2. Add salt, honey, turmeric and allspice to mustard seed mixture. Process with blender or food processor to desired consistency, adding more water if necessary.
3. Put mustard in clean jar or other non-reactive container. Cover and let sit for a week at room temperature to mellow the taste. Mustard can be aged longer for a milder taste.
4. Refrigerate mustard to halt the mellowing and preserve it. Mustard should keep for several months refrigerated.
Servings: 32 (serving size 1 tbsp)
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 16 calories, 7 calories from fat, <1g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 36.6mg sodium, 26.9mg potassium, 1.9g carbohydrates, <1g fiber, <1g sugar, <1g protein, 15.2mg calcium, <1g saturated fat.
You might also be interested in these related recipes :
1. Homemade Whole-Grain Mustard