RECIPES
How to Make Your Own Mustard Condiment from Seed
Sierra Leeper | October 7, 2024
One of the best parts of gardening is all of the many uses your plants can have once you harvest them. There’s nothing like making a fresh salsa out of your homegrown tomatoes, or roasting the broccoli you grew yourself to add to a warm winter meal. It’s easy to use the obvious products of our harvests in the kitchen, but sometimes we overlook the uses other less obvious parts of our garden plants can offer us.
One of the plants you may be growing with us this season, mustard, has wonderful, luscious leaves that can be great added to salads and stews. But once your mustard has completed its lifespan and begun to bolt, sending up a strong stalk and flowering blossom, the leaves will become bitter and unfit to eat. You may think your plant has offered all it can to you at this point, but now is the perfect time to harvest its seeds and make your own mustard condiment!
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN MUSTARD FROM SEED
Step 1: Allow Your Mustard Plant to Go to Seed
After your mustard plant has bolted, it will begin going to seed (this usually occurs somewhere between 70 and 100 days after planting). You should see long, sparse stalks appear as your leaves change and become smaller. Once these stalks have turned from lively green to dry and yellow, it will be time to remove the stalks and harvest the seeds from the seed pods. Make sure to harvest the seed pods before they split open to ensure your seeds will be at the perfect stage for use.
Step 2: Harvest Your Mustard Seeds
Using garden shears, cut the stalks from the plant and collect them in a container. Each individual seed pod will be sticking off of the stalk, and this is what you’ll want to harvest. Be careful as mustard seeds are very small and may shake loose as you’re harvesting them. To remove the seeds from their pods, simply rub the seed pod between your fingers, catching all the small seeds in a bowl. To make it easier, you can place a colander over a bowl to separate the pod casings from the seeds. Seeds can be stored in an airtight container for a year or more to be planted in the future or used in recipes.
Step 3: Soak the Seeds
Place your mustard seeds in a jar or bowl and cover them with equal parts vinegar and water. (For example, if you harvested ½ cup of mustard seeds, soak them in ½ cup of vinegar and ½ cup of water.) Soak the seeds overnight or for 1-2 days until they are soft and expanded.
Step 4: Blend
Leaving the seeds in their vinegar and water mixture, blend them together in a blender or food processor. Blend the mixture until it has reached your desired consistency.
Step 5: Add Seasonings
At this point, you can add salt, any optional spices (like garlic powder, turmeric, or chili powder), and sweetener (like honey or sugar) if desired. You can also add more vinegar if you’d like your mustard to be more tangy. Once the seasonings have been added, blend the mixture a final time to fully mix everything.
Step 6: Store and Enjoy
Transfer the mustard to a clean jar with a tight lid and enjoy on hot dogs, hamburgers, in dressings, or as a marinade. Your homemade mustard can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.
Show us how you use your homemade mustard by tagging us in your recipes and photos @leafedbox on Instagram!