Making Homemade Mustard Part 1

Most of the gifts we give for Christmas are homemade jellies, jams and other delicious treats. This year I wanted to make something a little different to add in to their basket of goodies. I decided to make different varieties of mustard. After looking long and hard on the internet for mustard seed in bulk, we decided to take a little day trip to Philadelphia. There is a great spice shop with good prices in the Italian Market. There are also a couple of good Italian cheese shops....and we always need some good cheese for the holidays to serve with my jams and jellies!!



It took me some time to find recipes and then decide which ones I wanted to make. I finally narrowed it down to four different mustards.....which will probably turn in to five! Making mustard takes takes some time. I didn't realize that it needs to sit in a cool dark place for 2 days to 8 weeks, depending on the recipe, to age before it reaches the desired pungency level. Mustard is very strong when it is first made. I picked recipes that required about a 2 weeks maximum time to age.

The first mustard is a coarse ground Yellow Mustard. This recipe required soaking the seeds in vinegar and water for two days before processing.

• 1/2 Cup Yellow Mustard Seeds, 3/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar & 1/3 Cup Water: soak mustard seeds in vinegar and water for 2 days.
• Add 1 1/2 tsp. Sugar & spices if desired. I added the suggested 1 tsp each of Tumeric and Ground Allspice.
• I also added 1/4 Cup Mustard Powder to make it a little thicker.
• Blend in food processor or blender. Then store in a glass jar in a cool dark place to age.

This recipe can also be made into a Honey Mustard by combining 1-1 ratio of mustard and local honey after the mustard has been aged. I may make half of it into honey mustard after it is ready, depending on the taste.

The second mustard is a Bavarian Whole Seed Mustard. This mustard recipe is made with a combination of yellow and black mustard seeds soaked in beer overnight.

• 1/4 Cup Yellow Mustard Seed, 1/4 Cup Black Mustard Seed & 1/2 Cup Beer. Soak mustard seeds in beer overnight.
• Add 1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar, 4 tsp. Brown Sugar, 3 Tbsp. Mustard Powder & 1/2 tsp. Salt (recipe called for 1 tsp)
• I also added a little water while blending, it was a little too thick
• Blend in food processor or blender. Then store in a glass jar in a cool dark place to age.

The third mustard is another Coarse Ground Mustard w/Red Wine. Here is the original recipe . I changed it quite a bit.

• 1/2 Cup Yellow Mustard Seeds-  soak in 1/2 Cup Red Wine and 2/3 Cup Red Wine Vinegar for 4 hours.
• I then added 1/2 Cup Water and 2 tsp Honey, 1/4 tsp Ground Allspice, 1/4 tsp of my Garlic Powder and 1 tsp. Salt
• Next you are supposed to put all of the ingredients in the food processor or blender and process briefly. It was too watery, so I strained it and then processed it to grind the seeds a bit.
• The mixture is then placed over simmering water in a double broiler for 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken.
• The recipe then said to place in hot canning jars and refrigerate. Due to the fact that all of the other recipes I had read said to let the mustard sit in a cool dark place until it reaches desired pungency level, I let mine cool and placed it in the basement with the others. I will check it every couple of days to see how it tastes before I can it.
• This mustard seems a little thin, I may add some Mustard Powder to it, depending on how it ages.

The fourth mustard is a Spicy Brown Mustard. This recipe was the quickest to make.

• 1/4 Cup Black Mustard Seed, grind in a spice or coffee grinder
• 3/4 Cup Yellow Mustard Powder
• 3/8 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3/4 Cup Water
• 2 tsp. Brown Sugar, 1/2 tsp. Salt (recipe called for 1 tsp) dash of Cayenne Pepper, Ground Allspice & Ground Cloves
• Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix. The mixture is put in a glass jar and stored in a cool dark place to age. (at least 2 weeks)

This is a double batch of each variety

When all of the mustards are finished and put in to smaller jars. I will do a Part 2 post on their taste and any additional adjustments that were made to the original recipes.