Make Your Own Spicy Stone Ground Mustard

Mustard. An American staple. As a matter-of-fact, mustard is used in the cuisine of India, the Mediterranean, northern and southeastern Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa, making it one of the most popular and widely used spices and condiments in the world.1

Made from the simplest ingredients, mustard actually is good for you. Some of the many vitamins and nutrients found in mustard seeds are selenium and omega 3 fatty acid. 2  Mustard has also been used medicinally for generations as well. This is one condiment that is good for you.  However, today's mustards have so many added ingredients that making your own can control what you put into it.  And unlike its ketchup counterpart, mustard can be made very easily, with no cooking and not much fuss.

I found this recipe while watching PBS many years ago.  It was with Mary Ann Esposito and I have loved this mustard ever since.  What can be better than making a condiment that not only tastes amazing but has health benefits as well? This recipe is hands-down the easiest gourmet mustard I've ever made and we think one of the tastiest too!

"Prepared mustard dates back thousands of years to the early Romans, who used to grind mustard seeds and mix them with wine into a paste not much different from the prepared mustards we know today."

This recipe uses two types of mustard...yellow and brown seeds.  You can use all of one or the other, but I really like the color combination of the two varieties.  The brown tends to be a little hotter but they are basically the same. 

For this recipe you'll need one cup of yellow (white) seeds and one cup of brown seeds.  Put them both in a non-corrosive container such as a handy mason jar.  

Add to the jar 2 cups of red wine vinegar. (I also use Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar to bump up the health benefits of mine.)  

 Now the easiest part.  Cover the jar with plastic if you're using a metal lid.  Otherwise you can top with a plastic lid and let the seeds soak for two days.  You'll be amazed at how much of the vinegar they soak up during this time.  

After two days, put your seed vinegar mix into a food processor and add 1/2 cup of raw honey, 2 tsp of fine sea salt, and 1 tsp of allspice.  Pulse until they form a coarse grainy paste.

Fill approximately six sterilized 1/2 pint jars with the mustard. Cut out wax paper circles larger than the jar opening and place over the tops of each jar before capping them.  

Unopened, the mustard will keep indefinitely, but once opened you'll want to make sure and refrigerate it. 

Need I mention that this mustard makes a great gift as well?  I gave a small bottle to friends one year and they raved about it so much that I ended up making them a quart of it!  

Hope you like this mustard and if you are looking for seeds to buy online, you can try here and
here. You may be able to find yellow mustard seeds any place selling bulk herbs and spices as well. 

Have you made mustard before?  What's your favorite additions?  Blessings!!


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Five Garden Gifts A Gardener Will Love!

 

Since I've joined Pinterest, I've been pinning a few things here and there of gardening stuff I would really like to own or own already and would like to recommend to other gardeners.  So, here's just a short list of some pretty nifty garden items that are sure to put a smile on the face of your gardening friends...or yours for that matter.  You can find these items online or maybe even in some local stores around you.  They are guaranteed to help the winter months pass quickly.  So here they are in no particular order and prices start at $5.95 (plus shipping) so they fit the budget as well.

 

 Nitrile Garden Gloves: I have to wear gardening gloves.  After being stung by bees and pricked by thorns, they are must for me and these lightweight gloves are tough in the garden.  Featuring a nylon glove with a coating of flexible, puncture-resistant nitrile coating, they are also water resistant and great for weeding and pruning but gentle enough for planting and sowing medium to large seeds. I own several pairs of these and absolutely love them.  They are the best gloves that I've found for general garden work. (Stick to leather work gloves for heavy duty work.) Easy to clean, I throw them in the washer and hang up to dry. They come in seven different colors and we all have different colored gloves so we all know who owns what.  I have a pink pair to help discourage teenage boys from swiping!  You may find these locally...I know we have a garden center that carries them in the summer but if not you can find them here.  At $5.95 (+ shipping) a pair, you can afford one for a friend and one for yourself.  Accept no cheap substitutes, these gloves are nice.

 

  Pocket Pruners:  Pruners are a must around herbs and flowers.  They are perfect for cleaning up spent plants and harvesting fresh basil.  I have an inexpensive pair that I've owned for years but now need to replace.  This pair is definitely on my Christmas list this year.  Pocket sized and handy for small garden jobs - these pruners at $9.95 fit the bill.  A great stocking stuffer too.  I'm asking for the orange pruners (they come in green too) so I can spot them easily in the grass.  I have a habit of laying them down for a minute and spending five more minutes trying to find them again!  You can find these pruners here.

 

 Garden Journal: After all the hard work with pruning and cleaning up outside in spring, a garden journal is a great way to relax and reflect on everything you're growing. And when given as a gift at Christmas it's a great time to dream of next year's garden as well.  This one caught my eye and is on my garden wish list.  Filled with black and white drawings and garden sayings, it's perfect for inspiration.  You can purchase this journal for $9.95  here.

 

 Tubtrug: Who doesn't need a handy bucket to move soil, carry clippings, transport produce and bring in flowers?  This trug does the trick and is on my wishlist for Christmas.  It also has a 5 star rating with over a thousand reviews.  This sounds very tempting to me as well as the sale price of $12.49 for an 11 gallon size.  The fact that it's collapsible is a huge bonus for a gardener like me with a very small space.  This could be used inside the home as well and you can find them here.

 

Weather Station:  You know you're a hard-core gardener when the weather channel is one of your top 3 TV stations to watch.  Weather and gardening go hand in hand and that's why this nifty little weather station gives you instant gratification.  These stations range in price.  Ours is a bit fancier with a barometer included but this one will get you started with temps, time and humidity.  It's price tag of $19.51 won't break the bank either.  We've had ours (a Christmas gift) for a number of years and I really like the La Crosse brand as it's proven itself accurate and reliable.  You can find this model and many others here. 

Well, I've made my list and checked it twice and these items not only are super helpful in the garden and home; they also make gardening work a little more enjoyable.

What garden items are on your Christmas wish list this year?  Blessings! 

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How to Make Free Lavender Plants for the Garden...

Lavender; it just isn't an herb garden, (or should I say a garden), without it.  It's gorgeous gray foliage, beautiful purple blue buds and flowers and it's irresistibly delicious scent make it one garden plant that leaves you coming back for more!  

Photo credit

And that's where I come in.  I have this beautiful lavender hidcote plant, (well, it WAS beautiful this past spring!) a smaller variety of lavender that makes it perfect for walkways or borders.  

The problem began when its neighbors, echinacea or purple coneflower, notorious for its abundance of progeny...aka a self-sower,  began to infringe upon the lavender's territory.  I also planted the lavender on the side of the flower bed where it didn't get all the full sun that this Mediterranean plant really loves.  SO, finding I had an open space in one of my flower beds on the south side of my house, I decided that I will transplant this little guy.  But, the empty space I have is pretty big and these plants stay relatively compact, so I really need some more.  But I don't want to buy them...so what to do?  Make some more!  

And that's why you're reading this.  Luckily, it's super easy to make your own lavender plants, or thyme plants, or any woody, low growing plant for that matter.  All you need is a sharp knife, a rock and with any type of gardening, patience.  But I am willing to wait...no problem.  This is the best kind of planting because it's so easy. 

 This technique is called "layering" and it's been around for a long time. This really should be done in the spring, but I'm taking my chances with the nice weather we've been having and doing this in late summer.  Hopefully I'll have my little plants and be able to plant them in the spring. I would suggest at least a few good months of frost-free weather before doing this to give the new plants time to root.  Otherwise, you can plan this for your spring garden.

So, first of all, locate a woody low growing branch(s) of the plant.

Take a sharp knife and nick the bark being careful not to cut all the way through the stem...

Now, if you have rooting hormone, then apply that to the cut area of the branch.  I didn't have any so I just went ahead with the next step.  The rooting hormone is nice insurance that the plants will root, but I've made plenty of plants without it.

This step is important, make sure the nicked part is thoroughly covered...

Find a handy large rock and place over the buried branch area.  It's SO important for the branch  to make good contact with the soil. 

I made several of these cuttings and found another rock.  So my plant looks like this with the prospective new plants on the sides.

One more close up.  I made several cuttings and used one large rock to cover them all.  That's it, wal-ah!  Now, isn't that the easiest gardening you've ever done?  I check it periodically to make sure the branch stays buried but the rest is up to time.  I'll check it again late next spring.  I'll know if the new plants made it by pulling on them gently and the branch doesn't move.  Then you know they've formed their own roots.  Then, you can cut the original branch and carefully dig out the plant and locate where you want it!

I've used this method different times, especially with thyme plants.  Sometimes the plants just layer themselves and I will transplant these new little freebies to their new home.  You've gotta love it and any kind of gardening that's easy is a true bonus!

So there ya go, layer your plants away and multiply your garden, make them as gifts for your friends (my plant was from a friend).  Pin this article and you'll have a great technique for the spring all ready to go...blessings!!

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Making Chive Blossom Vinegar...

Chives are some of the easiest herbs to grow.  I have a large pot of them next to my side door and also a large planting alongside the front of our house.  They come back year after year, AND even if you never use them, the flowers they put off are worth the growing.  But, did you know you can use these beautiful globes of onion-y goodness to make a super simple salad staple?

Remember those fancy herb vinegars which were so popular some years ago?  Well, they really are so easy to make and great to use as well.  I love to make my own salad dressings and by using an herbal vinegar, I get instant flavor for my dressings. I also use these as a marinade for chicken.  Plus, these make great gift giveaways as well...just remember to include a recipe!

Here's all you need...vinegar, preferably white wine or I'm using rice vinegar here.  Wine vinegar is not harsh like plain white vinegar and makes a far superior vinegar.  If you use white wine (as opposed to red wine) vinegar, you'll end up with a beautiful shade of pink. I actually used 2 and a half bottles of this size bottle of vinegar, it will vary depending on the size of your container. So worth it.  Save the red wine vinegar for basil, oregano and thyme. 

You'll also need a clean,dry and empty jar with a plastic, non-corrosive lid. The jar needs to be super dry or it can cause the vinegar to become cloudy if water is present.  If you only have a metal lid, make sure to place plastic wrap between the jar and lid.  You'll also need some kind of funnel as well.

Go to your chive flowers and pick the best ones; bees not included...

Wash your blossoms by a gentle rinse while still on the plant in early morning, then let sun dry.

Get your clean jar ready.  

 

Make sure all the blossoms are covered with vinegar

 

  Set in a sunny place for around three weeks.  

When you are satisfied with your vinegar, strain using a small mesh strainer or try a coffee filter and insert over a large pyrex glass measuring cup.  Find a clean dry and pretty jar you like and add a few fresh chive flowers to it before adding your vinegar.  Pour in vinegar with a funnel and you have yourself a delicious herbal vinegar! This vinegar should last for at least a year and doesn't need to be refrigerated (unless you make it into a dressing.)  Check out a basic vinaigrette recipe below...

¾ cup salad oil (preferably extra virgin olive oil)
¼ cup white wine vinegar
Kosher salt and ground white pepper (or freshly ground black pepper), to taste
Opt: Add about a 1/2 tsp of Dijon mustard and 1/2-1  tsp of sugar to dressing and mix well.  The mustard helps to emulsify the dressing.


Blessings!

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