Table of Contents

Introduction

Preamble

About Plant & Seed Legacy Series

Thoughts from the Author

Chapter 1

Medicinal Use of Mustard Seed

The Man Who Made Mustard Baths A Household Name

Chapter 2: Benefits of Mustard Seed Rubs, Baths and Plasters

The Ancient New Way of Healing

Balanced pH And the Wonderful Dance of Detox

The Happiness Feeling Stays

Recipes for Mustard Bath

Mustard Plaster

The Original Mustard Plaster

Chapter 3:   Overcoming Mustard Misconceptions

How Long Has It Been Used?

Chapter 4: How Does Your Mustard Grow?

Outdoor Garden

Types of Mustard to Grow

How to Plant Mustard Seed

Grow in Containers

Harvesting Your Mustard

Indoor Mustard Garden

Pests and Diseases Indoor and Outdoor

That’s All the Mustard

Chapter 5

Basic Mustard Recipe

Basic Country Mustard Recipe

Flavored Mustard:

Special Bonus

Other Mustard Recipes

Clone Mustards

Recipes Using Mustard Greens

Chapter 6:  Culinary Uses and recipes

Dry Mustard Kitchen Recipes

Home Remedy for Burns

Chapter 7: Encouraging News:  Pest Control/Fertilizer/Biodiesel Fuel

Visit the National Mustard Museum

Companion Planting

Problem Insects for Mustard

Plants to Avoid Near Mustard

Plants That Provide Shade for Mustard

End Thoughts

References and Resources:

Introduction

The mustard seed has been around for a long, long time. They are mentioned in the bible under “Parable of the Mustard Seed” as in “start small to grow big”. The Jewish philosopher Nahmanides references them to as a comparison of the universe, as in the universe started small and grew to what it is today, or their today.

Mustard seeds were originally discovered by Greek scientist Pythagoras in the sixth century B.C. for a remedy for scorpion stings. Hippocrates used it for different medicines and poultices for toothaches and other ailments of the time. Since then, it has been used as a medicinal herbs way before it became a culinary herb.

There are many colors of mustard seeds ranging from yellow to black. There are three varieties you can grow:

 Black mustard – Latin name: Brassica nigra

 Brown Indian mustard Latin name:  B. juncea

 White mustard Latin name: B. hirta/Sinapis alba

The most commonly used mustard seed is the white mustard. However, the other seeds can also be used for a slightly different taste, but they all have the same medical properties.

You can eat them, drink the soaked seeds, crush them for a poultice, and make them into a tincture, tea, or a decoction, or any other type of item you need in order to get them into the body. You can add them to cooked foods or eat them raw, like candy. There are many ways to use mustard seeds; you can even use them because you like the taste.

They have properties that will lessen migraines, lessen wrinkles in the skin, improve the appetite, increase the metabolism, and they will help menopausal women who have trouble sleeping. They have also been known to help with hair loss that’s the omega 3 and vitamin B in them.

The above are just a few of the ailments mustard seeds will help with along with improving minerals in your body. They contain calcium, manganese, omega 3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, protein and dietary fiber. Almost everything you need to remain healthy.

Mustard seeds have been used in a study at University of Minnesota Cancer Center as reported in The Journal of Nutrition, which showed mustard seeds contain a substance call isothiocyanates this substance was shown to prevent the occurrence of lung cancer and also showed they protect the body from gastrointestinal tract and colorectal cancers.

There’s a lot of power in this little seed. Do you actually need a scientific study to trust them when they have been used for thousands of years to heal many ailments?

The following will show you the benefits of using mustard seeds in your daily diet, where they can actually help you:

  Lose weight

  Rid you of a headache

  Strengthen the digestive system

  Stimulant the circulatory system

  Relieve back pain and spasms

  And it can promotes vomiting to rid the body of unwanted substances

  Plus, many more ailments

Mustard seeds supply the body with most of the nutrients it needs to keep you healthy, wealthy and wise. Well, maybe not wealthy and wise, but most certainly healthy.

Preamble

About Plant & Seed Legacy Series

Our mission with this series is for you to gain an understanding and acknowledge the power in the seeds we have inherited.   Receive the foundational truths, build and nurture your garden. Through information, we learn to trust what we’ve been given.  Come receive the value of plants and seeds.

Coming Soon eBooks in the Plant & Seed Legacy Series:  Elderberry, Dandelion, Prairie Sage, Olive Leaf, Lemon Balm.

"...Remember that you do not support the root but the root supports you."

Romans 11:18 Amplified Version (AMP)

Follow after wisdom -- for generation’s spices and herbs have been used, not because of obsession with health or scientific documentation of health benefits, but through observation of healthy experiences and a sense of well-being,   Inner guidance can guide you toward health -- learn to trust your body knows what it needs.

Today, we know through scientific research choosing to incorporate herbs and spices in our diet are one of the easiest ways to increase health. Nutritious food is a preventative medicine as well as general health maintenance.

Thoughts from the Author

Welcome to the Plant & Seed Legacy Series!

This eBook is designed to give you basic information on the mustard seed. It is my hope you would use this knowledge to seek answers for yourself to the question, “Would adding mustard seed to my diet benefit me?” I believe nature is our storehouse of life giving foods and medicines.

Plants – vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds carry the highest sources of trace elements and enzymes, vitamins, and proteins necessary for optimum health. For our added benefits, we need to increase these life building nutrients.

In your search for balance of health you may desire to add mustard seed to your diet. This great seed may prove to be beneficial to your daily needs. We each must find what works for us and what enhances our health. Do your own research for a proper diet that meets your unique palate.

Why not try a small indoor window garden in one of your well-lighted draft free windows? What science has discovered in the healing properties of the mustard seed is valuable information, conformation of the earth yielding beneficial plants.

It is important to continually pay attention to the whole person; spirit, soul and body. Life has a unique way of tossing things our way, which can throw us off balance, it’s one more reason we need to look after ourselves. Know yourself.  Healthy eating is a choice; when implemented the benefits far outweigh the challenge of finding what works for us.  Our challenges usually bring change, freedom and increased compassion. You have the gift of life; do what you can to enhance your gift and enjoy your life.

Understand your body is continually trying to heal itself; you help by giving it the nutrients it needs. Remember, your time is well spent, and the rewards are great when you are functioning at your optimal state of wellness.  I pray this information will be useful and insightful for you and your loved ones.

“The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed according to their own kinds and trees bearing fruit in which was their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (suitable, admirable) and He approved it.” Genesis 1:12 Amplified Version (AMP)

I hope this eBook inspires you to include and enjoy the bountiful harvest of plants and seeds available for our daily use. May this renewed awareness bring increased appreciation and gratitude for all our creator has given to us.  Pass the legacy on by getting your children and grandchildren involved, the more they learn of nature’s benefits, the better choices they will make.

“And God said, See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the land and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.” Genesis 1:29

© Copyright Adam Ward and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons License  (rapeseed.jpg)

photo by Lincoln Purvis on Flickr (flickr-2469589750-original.jpg)

Chapter 1: The Miraculous History of Mustard Seeds

Mustard seed is one of the oldest spices, dating back 3000 years, where it was used first as a medicine.  The name “mustard” is derived from the Latin word “mustum” meaning “must”.  This means something that should not be overlooked or missed.

Though it is small in size -- it is persistent in growth.

Mustard stimulates blood flow and that improves circulation of the blood. The more the blood move around your body the more it heals the body as it has white blood cells that attack any foreign object in the body, whether it’s a virus, bacteria or cancers. That’s one of the signs of cancer, an elevated white blood cell count. If a bacteria or virus enters your body, your blood is what fights it off through your immune system. Mustard improves blood flow to move the white blood cells around your body so they can do their work, which is to keep you healthy.

They, the physicians of the time, found as early as 1699 that mustard seeds would strengthen the memory and regain the spirits. It was also used in love potions for its strong aphrodisiac powers, although, it’s not actually a property of the mustard seed.  Science of today shows how the mustard seed works like capsaicin; it helps circulate the blood, which sends blood flow to the male and female organs. Hence, the aphrodisiac powers of mustard seeds.

The also used it for arthritis and rheumatism to relieve joint and muscle pain. That’s where the mustard plaster came from. They also found it, the mustard plaster, could be used for clearing up chest congestion, tooth aches, skin problems and stomach aches. The formulas, recipes, and advice have passed down through the ages until now, where we still use mustard seed for our ailments. It actually works better than drugs.

The value of the mustard seed to humans has been useful in the past and present.

Mustard seeds can be white, yellow, black or brown and are harvested from three different plants. Used in ground powder form or in its whole seed form.  It can be mixed with wine, vinegar and other liquids to form a paste.

Medicinal Use of Mustard Seed

Formulas, passed down through generations, still remain today.  There are some families who won’t use anything else for their arthritis or rheumatism. To give away the secret is something many family members wouldn’t do.  However, the secret is not so secret these days.   See the appendix for the formula of a mustard plaster.

Scientific study of the mustard seed has left little to be kept as a secret. It has been studied, tested, and used since the 1960s. There is a plethora of academic, scientific, and medical studies you can find that will tell you all about how mustard seed works on the body. It’s the one seed all three arenas agree on how the mustard seed can help the human body. Here’s the kicker, vets also agree mustard seed will help animals and human.

The main power of mustard is its ability to promote simple healing, relaxing, and renewing power of the body. In ancient times, a bath was a ritual for unwinding the stress of the day. Now, how much more today should we be unwinding the stress of our day, given the time they didn’t have as much stress as we do today, but stress and tension still affect the body the same way today as it did in yesteryear.

Even today, a bath is still a sanctuary, a private time where you can let the anxiety, stress, and worries go. You can use candles, and employ many scents from essential oil, and bubble baths. They all help to relax the body, mind and spirit. That is one of the reasons Mother Nature made them. Using a mustard bath healing powder, you can take your bath one step further and use the healing and rejuvenation power of the mustard seed to reawaken your body, mind and spirit.

No matter the ailment, mustard can heal most from muscle pain to migraines, from allergies to menopause, and from cold and flu to the Monday morning blues. A special blend of mustard seed and various other essential oils will give you back the wonders of life. It will bring you out of the dark and take you into the light where you can feel the healing powers of mustard.

Mustard packs and baths are an old folk remedy many have forgotten. The magic of rejuvenation was the quest behind the mustard bath. The magical properties behind mustard gave the body a tingling feeling and uplifted the soul. Many used it for sore and painful muscle fatigue.  One bath was enough to convince them to use it every time they had an ailment they couldn’t heal with other herbs.

It not only healed aching muscles, but it also increased the circulation of blood in the painful area. It brought new blood to the injured area and helped with healing. Bringing new blood to an area, this, by the way, is loaded with white blood cells, which are the healers of your body.  Without white blood cells, your body can’t heal because they are what eat away at bacteria, viruses, and other fungi and parasites.

When you use specific techniques with a mustard bath such as exfoliation, circulation, and lymphatic drainage, there is nothing more revitalizing to the body. Mustard creates a synergized bioenergy throughout your body. It works as a catalyst to activate the biochemical, metabolic process of healing.

In Ancient Greek, the word mustard means “That’s the end of that.” Meaning, according to the old Mustard Manual published by Colman from the British Mustard Company which stated it’s an old age remedy for pain:

“When applied to the outside of the body, it causes all the little blood-vessels in the skin to enlarge, and so increases the circulation of good red blood—and a healthy circulation is very important to the working of your skin, and indeed, your whole body. By the action of the Mustard, the pores are opened up, and the sweat glands are stimulated into activity, and this activity constitutes one of the most important ways in which the body rids itself of internal poisons.”

In fact, it breaks up the arterial stream (in the blood) by breaking up arterial congestion. It causes you to sweat out the toxins and acid wastes stored in the tissue.  It increase blood circulation to move out what is stagnant from the cells and eliminates other toxins throughout the other organs in the body.

It’s interesting to note that Coleman’s Mustard Manual, which was the healing manual of the time, is still being used by those who use mustard baths today. They are used in spas throughout the world. Yes, it’s made by the same company that makes Coleman mustard today.

The Man Who Made Mustard Baths A Household Name

Dr. Shyam S. Singha is the man who made mustard rub a household name. He was an amazing Ayurvedic and naturopathic doctor from India. His birthplace is near the mustard fields in Kashmir, where you can see the yellow blooms of the mustard plant for miles as it twists and turns in the sunny breeze.

Dr. Singha was a commanding person who believed people should take responsibility for their health. He often told his patients to “Do it!” meaning use the mustard bath for a detoxifying cleanse. It was a simple solution people could do at home to enliven their health.

He was a doctor of considerable strength who tried to wake up his patients to take care of their health. To understand how if you nurtured yourself you can have the maximum life span by nourishing the body, mind, and spirit. He created the mustard rubs and baths to give people a chance at a wonderful lifestyle of prevention, wellness, and celebration. The Great Himalayan Master created perfect proportion to synergize the virtually magic properties of mustard bioenergy.

Dr. Singha’s blend of herbal essences has a surprisingly light scent with an after tone of mint, not mustard. Most who use it find it exceptionally soothing on the body.

This little, tiny seed has saved many lives while soothing the aches and pain for others. It can make your life worth living if you suffer from any kind of ailment.  Try a mustard bath today and start living your life tomorrow – pain free!

Chapter 2: Benefits of Mustard Seed Rubs, Baths and Plasters

There are many professional athletes, Olympians, and ballet dancers who still use it today. They not only used it for professional reason, but they used it when they suffered from cold and flu, asthma, and allergies. Many dermatologists swear by it for total skin health. Naturopaths and chiropractors who practice the holistic model of healing use it in their everyday lives, and prescript it to their patients to detoxify the body.  There are many spas all over the world that use mustard baths to increase circulation, releases lactic acid, and stops muscle pain.

If you look at the review online you’ll see many positive reviews from customers who state mustard bath opens pores, stimulates sweat glands, relieves congestion, and releases toxins. Hundreds if, not thousands of reviews claim symptomatic relief for arthritis pain, sinusitis, muscle pains, aches, spasms, stiff joints, cramps, backaches, breathing difficulties, sleeping irregularities, and even puzzling skin problems.

It’s often used in the professional and common world to relieve stress, muscle tension, coughing, old, flu, and headaches, as well as provide comfort for symptoms associated with pneumonia, bronchitis, rheumatism, sciatica, depression, and gout.

The professionals who use either a mustard rub or mustard bath use it to reducing lactic acid and relieving physical trauma from sports injuries, physical exertion, or for simply unwinding  pleasurably after a workout.

The Ancient New Way of Healing

In our fast pace world, humans have been on a constant vigilance about eliminating what causes us to become ill. Most people take diet pills, colonic, and detox themselves to fight against pollution, toxicity, chemicals, and psychological stress. The body is quite complicate but using time-honored remedies is a better way than using chemical, man-made, synthetic drugs, which the body is not designed to digest.

However, a lot of people want that magic pill that makes them lose 20 pounds overnight, when they can just eat less and lose weight. They bombard their bodies with chemical loaded foods, soft drinks, and fast food junk and wonder why they feel so miserable all the time.

The body can take care of itself if you give it the nutrients it needed to do its job. If it doesn’t have the vitamins, minerals, and trace elements including proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, it can’t work properly. It gets clogged up with all the chemicals, perseverative, and other chemicals they put into food to make it look good, so we will buy it. Did you know the shelf life of corn flakes it over ten years? And you eat that for breakfast?

The body can only take so much before it starts to break down causing cancers, heart disease, kidney disease, and other ailment it can’t heal. A small injury that becomes inflamed can turn into cancer if the body can’t take care of it. It can’t take care of it because the body doesn’t have all the nutrients it needs.

Almost 80% of the population has a compromised immune system.  Their body is spending all its energy taking care of the chemicals that a person puts in their body it doesn’t have the energy to work on a small injury, even though it know it will turn into cancer.  Inflammation is the precursor to cancer.

Using a mustard bath will expel all the toxins in your body. As long as you change your eating habits and start on a healthy life style your body will “heal what ails ya’.” If the body can completely grow back your liver from a fourth of the size in two months, think about what it can do if it has all the proper amounts of nutrients.

Dr. Singha formulated the mustard bath as an extensive detoxifying cleanse for ordinary people to do for themselves.  “A simple solution to strengthen one’s health and enliven one’s capacity for celebration, joy, and living life in totality.” Singha, 14

Mustard seed plasters, baths, and rubs have been used since the Roman days, how can we as people, not use it to purify the body of all toxins. A simple bath once or twice a week will keep the body clean of built up toxins. Folk lore and modern science have validated the healing powers of mustard and yet, no one uses it except on their hot dog.

The following are the main benefits of using a mustard bath and rub:

 To help the body balance pH

 To restore the vital functions and true health of the skin,

 To assist the body and skin in the removal of acid waste

 To rejuvenate and promote deep relaxation of both body and mind

 To let go of negative emotions

 To lower stress and tension

 To further detoxify other organs

 To increase circulation

 To relieve pain and congestion

 To enhance rest and ensure a good night’s sleep

 To boost immune function

 To feel good with a warming, pleasurable experience of purifying, soothing, and cleansing.

The skin is the largest organ of elimination in the body.  Did you know that acne is caused by digestive issues? Or pimples come out because the waste can’t be eliminated through the proper waste channels?

Mustard works on the skin bringing new blood to the location. It causes you to sweat so your body can release the toxic built up of chemicals, toxins, and other stuff the waste system can’t eliminate.

Balanced pH And the Wonderful Dance of Detox

You’re wondering why you need to detox and why you should have a balanced pH, right? That’s easy. The body works best if the pH is on the alkaline side rather than the acidity side. When you have an alkaline body, it helps restore the balance in the body.

The body runs on many different chemicals. If one of them is off, it throws the whole pH balance off. It may not be by much, but it’s enough to upset your body. You see the results through diarrhea, constipation, upset stomach, bloating, and even gas. They are all caused by an acidic body. An alkaline body runs smooth, and you feel great with tons of energy.  Doing a detox sets your body back to normal, so to speak. It’s like rebooting your computer system.

The pH balance is the most important. Too much fatty foods turn the body acidity while fruits and vegetables, cooked or uncooked, turn the body alkaline. The body needs 5% proteins, 3% fat, and 92% carbohydrates at every meal.

If you’re not eating this combination of foods at every meal, your body is in an acid state. The fastest way to turn it to alkaline is to detox it. The mustard bath is the perfect outlet. You’re already in water, so when you start sweating it will flush all the toxins out of the body. Just rinse and you’re done…you won’t believe how you feel after a mustard bath.

The body consists of muscles, tendons, organs, fluids, and the brain.  Each and every part of the body requires a certain amount of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and enzymes to function properly.  This chemical reaction is actually a process of cells working to process the foods you eat and extract the nutrients to feed your body.

If the cells don’t have what they need they can’t repair, replace, and rejuvenate your body.  That’s the main point of eating healthy food choices.  A fruit, say an apple, contains they right combination of fat, protein, and carbohydrates the body requires.  Adding potato chips, fries, and a burger, set your body on the path to an acid body. That’s where inflammations, illness, and other ailment take over.  Sickness thrives on an acidic body.

Sickness has a hard time living in an alkaline body. So, can you see the point of keeping your body alkaline?

Remember, people have been using baths in many different forms for centuries such as the Roman bath houses; the Native Indians sweat houses and natural hot springs, saunas, and Turkish baths, to pleasantly purge and purify the mind, body and soul. They didn’t know they were detoxing their system of toxins. They were just enjoying themselves and felt better for it.

An Interesting Fact:

What some people call chemicals are actually enzymes combined with other enzymes, vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates that make a body work. Without this combined process, the body becomes unhealthy, the brain stops working, and the organs start to break down.

The body requires the proper amount of nutrients to function, and without this it starts to affect the immune system. Your immune system is your regulator and is controlled by white blood cells. The white blood cells try to catch and destroy germs, bacteria, and viruses to stop infections. If the white blood cells don’t have the right amount of nutrients to perform their function, you end up with colds, flu’s, bacterial infections, or tumors and other medical problems even cancer.

The Happiness Feeling Stays

What happens to your body after you have a mustard bath?  As the body releases the excess food and toxins in the form of acid waste, the body turns alkaline, and you not only feel clean on the outside, but you’ll feel clean on the inside, too.  If you learn to listen to your body, it will tell you the next time you need a mustard bath.

Recipes for Mustard Bath

Warming Mustard Bath (from Ashley English of Small Measure)

Ingredients to make 4 baths:

1 cup baking soda

1/4 cup mustard powder

6 drops wintergreen or peppermint essential oil

6 drops rosemary essential oil

6 drops eucalyptus essential oil

Place all of the ingredients in a storage jar and whisk together. Use a canning jar to keep it fresh and hold the scent. You can make bigger batches, but the scent will fade after a couple of weeks.

Add 4 Tablespoons to a running bath and swish around to disperse the powder.

Relax in the water for 20 minutes.  Finish with a cold shower, dry with a soft towel, keep warm and relax for best results.

Foot Bath - Dissolve 1 Large tablespoon of the formula in a bowl of hot water. Soak for 20 minutes. Finish with a short cold soak.

Caution: Mustard baths are powerful potions for relaxing! Avoid taking one before you host a big dinner party or drive a car...

Mustard Plaster

1 tablespoon powdered Mustard

4 tablespoons whole wheat flour

Moderately hot distilled water

Wheat germ oil

Place a handkerchief on a plate. Mix the mustard and flour together to form a thin paste, spread on the handkerchief, and fold the corners together to form a flat pack. Apply to the affected area and cover with plastic wrap to prevent staining clothing or bedding. Cover with a folded towel to retain the warmth. The mustard may warm up slowly. If, after five minutes, greater warmth is desired, apply a hot water bottle. Be sure to check the skin every few minutes to make sure it is not becoming to red.

The total treatment time should be twenty minutes. After the procedure, wipe the skin with a soft cloth or cotton ball dipped in olive oil to remove all remnants of the mustard. Cover the area with a clean towel and leave on overnight.

This treatment should be performed in the evening so that the patient can rest with its effects through the night. It stimulates the circulation deep within the tissues and is particularly useful as a treatment for irritated kidneys when placed on that area.

For those with sensitive skin, the water in the formula can be replaced with an equal quantity of egg whites. This will prevent blistering. Mustard is available in varying potencies, ranging from mild to very hot. Thus, the condition of the skin must be watched carefully, and the poultice removed if the skin becomes too red or irritated.

Recipe from Clover Leaf Farm Herbs

Mustard Plaster

         1 tablespoon powdered Mustard

         4 tablespoons whole wheat flour

         Moderately hot distilled water

         Wheat germ oil

         Clean Cloth to wrap injured area (old t-shirt, diaper, rags, etc.)

Mix the mustard and flour together to form a thin paste, spread on the clean cloth and wrap the affected area.

The mustard pack will slowly heat up. You can add a hot water bottle it the pack is not hot enough. Check the skin every 3 to 5 minutes to be sure it’s not burning your skin. The skin will become red and feel warm to the touch, but it should not heat up to the point is causing more pain.

The total time for a pack is about 20 minutes. Use a little over oil to wipe the mustard off the skin, then wrap it affected area with a clean cloth and leave on overnight.

Caution: If you have sensitive skin, you can use eggs whites instead of water. This will help to prevent blistering. Mustard comes in varying potencies, ranging from mild to very hot. Watch the skin careful to prevent and damage to the skin.

From Clover Leaf Farm Herbs

The Original Mustard Plaster

4 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons dry mustard

Water (lukewarm)

Clean cloth to wrap the injured area

Directions:

Mix together and apply to the affected area.  Leave on 15 to 25 minutes. The longer the better but don’t let it irritate the skin or blister it.

Wrap the area with a clean cloth and leave on for 12 hours.  Be sure the clean cloth is gentle to the skin such as diapers, t-shits, etc.

Chapter 3:   Overcoming Mustard Misconceptions

It’s a well-known fact that you’re not going to jump right into a mustard bath after you read this book. You first have to get over the images conjured in your mind about mustard. You put it on your hot dog, but bathe in it! -- Just not going to happen, right?

Not even telling you it’s been used for thousands of years will get you in a tub with mustard…and that’s okay…but there will come a time when you can’t handle the pain of arthritis, or a cold, or a massive dose of hay fever or be so bloated with constipation you can’t even bend over…that’s when you’ll try a mustard bath, which, by the way, doesn’t smell anything like mustard.  The kind you put on your hot dog, that is.

If you use a store bought product such as Dr. Singha’s Mustard Bath, you’ll receive such an uplifting sense of health, vitality, and energy, you might not want to get of the bath. Of course, if you start off with Grandma’s mustard plaster, you might never try the bath. So, yes, Grandma’s mustard plaster does smell like mustard, but it will heal the injury.

You can do a “night at home spa” me time or with friends and family, but you or whoever joins in will all feel better after 20 minutes in the bath. Do a facial before the bath, or do your nail, toes and fingers, then jump in the bath and relax. You’ll not only feel your body relax, but you’ll feel your mind and spirit relaxing, as well. What could be better?

Trying to get over the “mustard” syndrome is not easy, but if you buy the product, as soon as you open it and smell the refreshing, tantalizing scent, you’ll start your bath right away.

If you make your own mustard bath, you can put whatever type of scent you want or one that appeal to your nose. However, the ingredients in the mustard bath are there for a reason.

You can make the following changes to this formula, but remember the essential oils are there for a reason. They are:

Baking soda – is the catalyst for the ingredients. Baking soda cleans the body’s pores of the “stuff” that will come out while you bask in the bath. You can use Epson salts, but baking soda is also a deodorizer for the body.

Mustard powder – needs to be there since this is a mustard bath

Wintergreen – can be replaced with peppermint, lavender, or Chamomile essential oil – heals wounds faster and reduces inflammation, and calms the nerves

Rosemary – can be replaced with lavender or thyme essential oil -- circulate the blood and relax the muscles

Eucalyptus – use tea tree oil or other oil with camphor – it reduces fungi, bacteria, and is an antiseptic

Of course, Dr. Singha spent many years perfecting this formula, so you know it will work. You can find his mustard bath in health food stores, herb shops and other places who sell health related products.

How Long Has It Been Used?

Mustard baths have been in medical journals since ancient Greeks shared the formula with the world. It’s was in Culpeper’s Complete Herbal. Nicholas Culpeper was an herbalist who converted medical books into modern English, so the common people could heal themselves. He wrote “The English Physician” (1652) and the “Complete Herbal” (1653), which contains a rich store of pharmaceutical and herbal knowledge

Of course, it didn’t go over well with the medical community of the time, but the common folk loved it and learned how to take care of their selves and their family. It also opened up the door for more people to become herbalist. The follow is a direct quote form The Complete Herbal by Nicholas Culpeper on how to used mustard, which until he wrote the herbal was only known by the medical profession of the time.

Direct from “The Complete Herbal”;

“Government and virtues -- It is an excellent sauce for such whose blood wants clarifying, and for weak stomachs, being an  herb of Mars, but naught for choleric people, though as good for such as are aged,  or troubled with cold diseases. Aries claims something to do with it, therefore it strengthens the heart, and resists poison.  Let such whose stomachs are so weak they  cannot digest their meat, or appetite it,  take of Mustard-seed a dram, cinnamon as  much, and having beaten them to powder, and half as much mastic in powder, and with gum arabic dissolved in rose-water, make it up into troches, of which they may  take one of about half a dram weight an  hour or two before meals; let old men and  women make much of this medicine, and  they will either give me thanks, or shew  manifest ingratitude.”

“Mustard seed hath the virtue of heat, discussing, ratifying, and drawing out splinters of bones, and other things of the flesh. It is of good effect to  bring down women's courses, for the falling-  sickness or lethargy, drowsy forgetful evil,  to use it both inwardly and outwardly, to  rub the nostrils, forehead and temples, to  warm and quicken the spirits; for by the  fierce sharpness it purges the brain by  sneezing, and drawing down rheum and  other viscous humours, which by their distillations upon the lungs and chest, procure  coughing, and therefore, with some honey  added thereto, doth much good therein.”

“The  decoction of the seed made in wine, and  drank, provokes urine, resists the force of  poison, the malignity of mushrooms, and  venom of scorpions, or other venomous  creatures, if it be taken in time; and taken  before the cold fits of agues, alters, lessens,  and cures them. The seed taken either by itself, or with other things, either in an electuary or drink, doth mightily stir up bodily lust, and helps the spleen and pains in the sides, and gnawings in the bowels; and used as a gargle draws up the palate of the mouth, being fallen down; and also it dissolves the swellings about the throat, if it be outwardly applied.”

“Being chewed in the mouth it oftentimes helps the tooth-ache. The outward application hereof upon the pained place of the sciatica, discusses the humours, and eases the pains, as also the gout, and other joint aches; and is much and often used to ease pains in the sides or loins, the shoulder, or other parts of the body, upon the plying thereof to raise blisters, and cures the disease by drawing it to the outward parts of the body. It is also used to help the falling off the hair. The seed bruised mixed with honey, and applied, or made up with wax, takes away the marks and black and blue spots of bruises, or the like, the roughness or scabbiness of the skin, as also the leprosy, and lousy evil.  It helps also the crick in the neck.”

“The distilled water of the herb, when it is in the flower, is much used to drink inwardly to help in any of the diseases aforesaid, or to wash the mouth when the palate is down, and for the disease of the throat to gargle, but outwardly also for scabs, itch, or other the like infirmities, and cleanses the face from morphew, spots, freckles, and other deformities.”

Since Culpeper wrote this in the 1600s, you know doctors had to been using it before he wrote it.

Using a mustard bath, plaster, or using it with your food, it will “heal what ails ya’”. Don’t let the fact that it might smell like the condiment stop you from using it to detox your body.  The only way to see if a mustard bath works is to try a mustard bath. You’ll be amazed at the results.

Chapter 4: How Does Your Mustard Grow?

Outdoor Garden

Growing mustard is fairly easy. It can be included in your garden plan or you can plant it at the end of rows and between other plants. You can also use a container to grow them.  It depends on how much mustard you want to grow. If you want to make your own mustard, the condiment, or grow it for the seeds to use in a mustard bath or plaster, then you’ll have to make some space for it in your garden.

Mustard greens tend to be under-appreciated outside the Deep South. So, you most likely will not find the starter plant in your local nursery. They start remarkably easy if you start them at the right time. Of course, it depends on where you live but most mustard like’s cool weather. They are known as winter plants but, again, it depends on where you live. They won’t grow in the snow, but they will grow in a cold frame.

Types of Mustard to Grow

Although there are plenty of mustards in the dinner table such as Dijon, German, French, spicy, and regular mustard, there are actually made from the same seed. There are several types of mustard you can grow, so you can mix and match when you make your own mustard.

There are over forty different varieties of mustard plants, but these three are the most popular for culinary use.

 Black mustard seed -- Brassica nigra, in Latin nigra means black. These are popular in the Middle East and Asia Minor where they originated.

 Brown mustard seed -- Brassica juncea, is Latin juncea means rush-like. The brown originated in the Himalayans and has nearly replaced the black in American and British kitchens, particularly North American Chinese restaurants.

 White mustard seed --Sinapis alba, in Latin alba means white. It was originated in the Mediterranean area, and although it’s called white it has a light tan cast that turns into the dirty yellow mustard you put on your hot dogs. The store bought is laced with yellow dye or turmeric to make it bright yellow.

There are other varieties of mustard you can plant if you want to add them to your collection of mustards. You can eat all parts of the mustard, but some of them mature earlier than others, don’t have the same yield, or are smaller in height than the top three mustards.

From Purdue University

(Center for Alternative Plant and Animal Products, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108. July 1991.)

Gisilba—Yellow mustard. Similar to Ochre in field performance. Originated in Germany. Distributed by Northern Sales Co. Ltd., Winnipeg. Licensed in 1974.

Kirby—Yellow mustard. Released by Colman Foods, Norwich, England in 1970. Distributed by Minn-Dak Growers Association, Grand Forks, ND.

Ochre—Yellow mustard. Released by Agriculture Canada, Saskatoon. Licensed in 1981.

Tilney—Yellow mustard. Similar to Kirby in field performance but has a high mucilage content desired by processors. Released by Colman Foods Norwich, England in 1978. Distributed by Minn-Dak Growers Association, Grand Forks, ND.

Carrow 85—Oriental mustard. Undesirable small seed. Released by Colman Foods, Norwich, England in 1980.

Domo—Oriental mustard. Released by Agriculture Canada, Saskatoon. Licensed in 1977.

Lethbridge 22A—Oriental mustard. Released by Agriculture Canada in 1967, Lethbridge. Licensed in 1974.

Blaze—Brown mustard. Released by Agriculture Canada, Saskatoon. Licensed in 1976.

How to Plant Mustard Seed

You can have two crops each year of mustard, one in the spring and one in the fall. The tiny new mustard leaves in the spring can be added to salads, soups, or eaten raw. They help prepare your body for the coming summer with their properties of vitamins K, C and E as well as, folate and beta-carotene. This gives your body the ability to lower cholesterol, add antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and protect against cardiovascular problems.

You can start them in the house or greenhouse if you live in a northern part of the world. Start the seeds in a pot about 3 weeks before the last frost. If you plant them in successive small starts, about a week apart, you’ll have a continuous supply of mustard green.

Mustard greens aren’t just for southern folk; people in other areas can benefit from the properties of mustard greens and use the seed to make your own mustard sauces or add powdered mustard to soups, stew, and salads. You’ll also benefit from mustard baths and plasters.

The number of plants you grow can depend on the number of family members you have and how much mustard you plan on making. The rule of thumb is 4 to 6 plants for each member in your family or fewer, if you only use the greens occasionally. Add 3 to 5 plants per person if you plan to make your own mustard. Don’t forget to save some seeds for planting the next crop of mustard.

Plant in Full Sun

Plant them outdoor either in rows or separate plants at the ends of other plant rows or have a full section in your garden for mustard.  Plant them in full sun and give them plenty of water. They will grow fairly fast. If you fertilizer them they will produce the tender, green leaves you can use in salads or you can even stir fry them with other vegetables.

Spring rains should keep them watered enough, but it you don’t have rain for 3 days, be sure to water them. Keep the weeds around them down. Weeds pull the nutrients out of the soil, and you want your mustard to use all the nutrients in the soil. It also makes it easier to harvest your mustard crop.

You can use the tiny leaves when they come up, but be sure to leave at least two leaves per plant. This helps with photosynthesis, the means the plant will make its own energy.

Plant each plant about a foot apart or 12 to 15 inches. This gives them enough room to grow and not crowd others out. Moisture-stressed plants will go to seed early. So, be sure to keep the mustard watered.

Grow in Containers

You can also plant them in containers. Use one container per plant for the best growth. Of course, it does depend on the size of the container. You’ll know how many to plant per container if you keep them 12 to 15 inches apart.  Use well drained soil. If they become water logged, it will cause the roots to rot, and you’ll lose all the mustard. It also leads to downy mildew, which will make the plant inedible.

You can plant the seed right in the container if you know the frost season is over. Thin them to 6 to 12 inches apart when they have 4 to 6 leaves.

An interesting note: some people throw the seeds wherever and just let them take over. They don’t thin or spread them apart. They don’t have any problems harvesting the leaves or the seed pods. So, what this means is whatever works in your yard is great for the mustard and for you and your family.

Harvesting Your Mustard

You can harvest the tender leaves through the growing season remembering to leave several leaves so the plant will continue growing.  Let the plant grow to full height. Let it bloom, and produce the seed pods. The seed pots are what you use for making mustard. You will also have your next season’s starter seeds.

You can pick individual leaves or pull up the entire plant. The leaves will become tougher and have a strong flavor in hot, dry weather. That’s why they grow best in the early spring or late fall.

For the seeds, harvest them when the leaves start to turn yellow. You want the plant to grow as long as possible, but you don’t want the seed pods to burst open and spill the seeds. If they do, the plants will come up next year.

Harvest the Seed Pods

When the mustard leaves start to turn yellow the seeds are ready to harvest. This is usually about 94 days after planting. They will be yellow/green, and the seeds will be yellow/tan or light brown. Black mustard will have a yellow/green color to the pod, but the seeds with be from light gray to black. Pick the pods when they are brown and dry and store them in a dry place until they are thoroughly dried.  Be sure they are stored in an area that doesn’t get above 120 degrees.

The seeds should be ready to use. If there is too much moisture in the air, the pods will mildew and spoil the whole crop.

Indoor Mustard Garden

Most herbs have both culinary and health benefits. They add nutritive value to foods and improve flavor. Growing your own ensures that you have your own constant fresh supply. If you don’t have an outdoor garden space or the weather outdoors is too harsh, an indoor garden is the best way to grow your own herbs.

Benefits of an indoor garden: Plants remove carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen into it, which removes pollutants from our environment.

Simple to grow, low cost, fresh herbs for tea, medicinal and culinary purposes. The choices are endless, start with the herbs you and your family enjoy.

When growing mustards indoors, start with a good quality potting soil, which is loaded with organic matter and manure. Put a layer of crushed rocks, glass, or pieces of a broken clay pot in the bottom of the pot or container for good drainage.  Most herbs do well in soils of pH 6 to 7.

Moisten the soil and scatter the mustard seeds on top of the soil, lightly cover with soil and water gently. Keep seeds moist. You can also put a plastic bag or saran wrap over them to help germinate. They don’t actually need light to germinate, but they do need warmth. Keep the seeds between 65 to 80 degrees and they will pop up in about 5 days. That’s when you move them to a lighted area.

Use a window sill or a grow light to give them at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlit a day. If they aren’t receiving enough light they will become leggy as they reach for the light. If you use a grow light, double the time, which would be about 14 to 16 hours a day of light.

Harvest your mustard plants for greens when the leaves are young and tender; for cooked greens harvest when the leaves are mature and for seeds when the seedpods take on a brownish tinge. It works the same indoors as it does outdoor for harvesting. You can also grow mustard year around in an indoor garden.

Pests and Diseases Indoor and Outdoor

Downy mildew

Common downy mildew can cover a mustard plant. It happens when there is too much moisture around a mustard plant. It doesn’t matter if you wet the leaves or not, after all, Mother Nature does when she rains on them, but keep the surrounding area dry. Plus, cut back on watering mustard plants.

Cabbage worms

Cabbage worm can devastate the mustard plant in no time. They are, after all, a worm who can eat ten times their weight. You can use an insecticide like vinegar mixed with cayenne with a little soap added to make it stick to the leaves. You can use normal insecticides, but they go into the soil and end up in water run offs. Plus, it’s not an organic product.  You can make a “flour” powder of ground mustard and horsetail and sprinkle around the plants. In fact, it’s perfect for the whole garden. It may not look like it, but mustard is in the same family as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.

Club Root

Club root is s fungus the attacks the root of a mustard plant.  It lives underground and will destroy the entire crop if not taken care of right away. You will notice the leaves of the plant will wilt no matter how much you water them. Treat heavily lime in the soil. Also, be sure to rotate the crops from season to season. Change land area with every crop, so fungi, diseases, and mildew don’t stay in the soil.

Companion Planting

You can also companion plant with mustard and it’s also a companion for other plants. Since it has big leaves, it can be used for shape of smaller plants. Mustard is subject to flea beetles, aphids, cabbage worms and other insects. You can plant any type of mint to repel these insects. You can also plant near tansy, yarrow, flowering buckwheat, dill and fennel to attract the good insects that eat aphids and cabbage worms.  Be sure not to injury the ladybugs and lacewings in your garden. They eat aphids, and that keeps your garden clean of these pests.

You can use mustard to plant around other plants such as English peas, snap peas, jasmine and clematis. Corn is also a good shade plant for mustard.

Avoid planting around or next to sunflower, soybeans and dried beans, since they suffer from the same insect problems. Also, wild mustard, pigweed, field pennycress and shepherd's purse should also be kept well away from mustard greens -- these weeds pass along diseases to your mustard plants.

That’s All the Mustard

That’s all you need to know about growing mustard. You can have huge plots of land filled with mustard or a small container in your window sill. The point is to eat the mustard greens for nutrients and use the seeds for making your own mustard. The next chapter will cover recipes for difference kinds of mustards.

Chapter 5: Culinary Recipes

Substitute: 1 teaspoon of ground mustard is equal to 1 teaspoon of whole mustard seeds.

Be sure to make mustard ahead for when you want to use it. There is a bitterness that needs to be dispelled before you can use it. Also, you have let the flavors meld together for a better tasting mustard. Overnight is the least amount of time, so several days’ makes the mustard even better. Heat changes the hotness of pepper.

Basic Mustard Recipe

You can use ground or seeds to make mustard. The coarseness depends on how you like your mustard. Grind the seeds with a blender or coffee grinder to the desired texture. There are endless combinations you can create. When you change the liquid – you change the mustard flavor. Grinding in different coarseness also give a different texture to the mustard from smooth like French’s Mustard to Spicy Mustard that is coarse.

What Type of Mustard to Use?

Yellow mustard is the most commonly used for mustard for the dinner table. Brown is spicier while black is stronger still. You can add wine, vinegar, water, fruit juices like fresh grape juice, or any other type of liquid, with or without flavoring.

¼ cup mustard

¼ cup cold water

2 tablespoon vinegar

Salt to taste

Mix together and let sit overnight to let the flavor meld together. Use this for the base of other mustard recipes.

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Making your own mustard gives you the choice of thick to thin, from smooth to coarse mustard. You get to choose what type and what flavor you want for your mustard.

This is the basic recipe for mustard. It gives you a starting point. You can even mix mustard to make your own mayo, just like what you buy in the stores.

There are any numbers of combinations you can add to make the type of mustard you like. As long as you add the vinegar, it will last several months in the refrigerator.

Basic Country Mustard Recipe

Homemade country mustard is made from both mustard seeds and mustard powder. Grind the seeds from coarse to fine, depending on your own personal tastes.

2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds, coarsely ground

1/4 cup brown or yellow mustard powder

1/4 cup cold water

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Grind the mustard seeds to the texture you desire. (There is no "correct'" texture.) Mix the mustard powder and ground seeds with the water. Let sit for 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and salt; blend well. Refrigerate overnight before using.

Yield: About 1 Cup

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Basic Mustard

1/2 cup ground mustard seeds

1/4 cup ice cold water

1/4 cup vinegar (white, wine, cider)

2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)

Directions:

Grind, crush, or crack mustard seeds. Add the water to the ground mustard and stir. Let sit for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, and then add remaining ingredients and blend. If you wish, add herbs or substitute wine for some of the vinegar. Pour into sterilized jars to seal. Refrigerate mustard after opening.

Yields: About1 cup

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Horseradish Mustard

½ cup dry mustard

⅛ teaspoon white pepper

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 clove of peeled garlic

½ cup white wine or cider vinegar

1 - 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Directions:

Combine the dry mustard, pepper, and water in a bowl.  Put the salt, sugar, garlic and 1 tablespoon of horseradish in a blender and blend them together, then strain into the mustard mixture.  Transfer to a small pan, and simmer over low heat, stirring all the time, until it has slightly thickened.  When the mustard has cooled, stir in additional horseradish if you like.  If the mixture is too thick, thin with additional water or vinegar.

Yields: About1 cup

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Flavored Mustard:

Flavored mustards are only limited by your imagination. You can mix and match any herbs and spices you want to find that one flavor you will love. You can add horseradish, chili peppers, lemon, lime, raspberry and even blueberry to any mustard concoction. Here are several that are out in the world that many love to use when they eat.

You can add:

 Tarragon

 Basil

 Sage

 Peppers

 Horseradish

 Grapes

 Avocado oil

 Peach

 Honey

 Olives

 Pickles

 And the list goes on and on…

Special Bonus

Skunk Smell Remover or any smell

Skunks are notorious for leaving a pungent aroma on random objects that they encounter.

Remove the odor by mixing dry mustard with hot water to as much as you need.

Start with

¼ cup mustard

1 cup of water

and add as much as you need for the project.

When the odor-removing solution is ready, splash it on the affected object. Let the solution settle for a while then rinse off. The skunk odor will then be gone, down to the last bit.  You can use this for any type of odor that you can’t get rid of such as perfume, tobacco, and other smells that are hard to dispel.

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Other Mustard Recipes

Lime Mustard with Coriander

From Mustards, Ketchups & Vinegars, by Carol W. Costenbader

Ingredients:

2 1/8 cups white mustard seeds, ground

2 tablespoons mustard powder

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds

Grated zest (rind) of 1 lime

1/4 tablespoons lime juice

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the ground mustard seeds and mustard powder with the water. Allow to marinate for 3 hours. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, and gradually add the other ingredients except the lime juice when processing. Sample the mixture, adding enough of lime juice to make it smooth. Spoon into small sterilized jars. Cap the jars tightly, and label. Store in the refrigerator for several months.

Yields 1 ½ cups

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Hotter Than Hot Mustard

From Mustards, Ketchups & Vinegars, by Carol W. Costenbader

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups mustard powder

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Pinch of salt

Directions:

Gradually whisk the water into the mustard powder, beating out all the lumps. Let rest for 15 minutes. Any bitterness from the mustard powder will disappear during this time. Whisk in the vinegar and oil, mixing until smooth. Mix in the brown sugar and salt, and stir until smooth. Ladle the mustard into small sterilized jars. Cap tightly, label and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Yields 2 cups

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Tarragon & Green Peppercorn Mustard

From Herbal Vinegar, by Maggie Oster

Ingredients:

1/4 cup light or dark mustard seeds

1/3 cup tarragon white wine vinegar*

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoons fresh tarragon, minced

1 tablespoons green peppercorns, crushed

1 tablespoons honey or 2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoons ground cloves

*You can make your own tarragon white wine vinegar by steeping fresh tarragon in heated white wine vinegar (store in a sterilized jar).

Directions:

Combine mustard seeds, vinegar, water and wine in a bowl. Let sit for 4 hours, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a blender or food processor. Process to the desired consistency from slightly course to creamy. Pour into the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook for 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring often. Mustard will be thicker when cooled. Pour into sterilized jars, cap tightly, and store in the refrigerator. Wait several days before using to allow flavors to blend.

Yields 1 cup

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Cranberry Honey Mustard

courtesy Epicurean.com

Ingredients:

As the dried cranberries soak with the mustard and vinegar, their bright red color leaches out into the vinegar. The resulting mustard is a pretty, cranberry-tinted pink.

3/4 cup yellow mustard seeds

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar

1 1/4 cups dried cranberries

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoons salt

Directions:

In a non-aluminum pot or jar, combine the mustard seeds, vinegar and cranberries; cover and soak for 48 hours, adding additional vinegar if necessary to maintain enough liquid to cover the seeds.

Scrape the soaked seed-and-cranberry mixture into a food processor and process until the mixture turns from liquid and seeds to a creamy consistency flecked with seeds and bits of cranberry. Add honey and salt. The process takes at least 3 to 4 minutes, so be patient. You may need to add additional vinegar as necessary to create a nice creamy mustard; keep in mind that it will thicken slightly upon standing.

After about 1 week of aging, the cranberry flavor seems to settle into this mustard and make it all the better, but it is perfectly good immediately.

Yields about 3 1/3 cups

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Honey Stout Mustard

courtesy Fabulousfoods.com

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow mustard seeds

1 cup brown mustard seeds

1 1/2 cups British stout (such as Guinness)

3/4 cup cider vinegar

1 small onion, finely minced

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 tablespoons brown sugar

4 tablespoons honey

1/3 cup mustard powder

1 teaspoons allspice

1/2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoons salt

Directions:

Soak mustard seeds in stout for at least 4 hours (add more stout if necessary to keep seeds covered). In a heavy saucepan, combine vinegar with the onion, garlic, brown sugar, honey, mustard powder, allspice, turmeric and salt. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat until reduced by half (about 10 to 15 minutes).

Pour reduced liquid through a strainer into mustard-and-stout mixture. Process in food processor or blender until coarsely ground. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened (it will thicken more as it cools). Let cool and pack into sterilized jars and cover tightly.

Store, refrigerated, for up to 2 years (although mustards do lose their potency over time).

Yields 3 1/2 cups

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Clone Mustards

Prepared mustards usually consist of a combination of any variety of mustard seeds with vinegar or wine as a acidic fixative, plus salt and various spices, depending on the blend. Prepared mustard generally has about one-third to one-half the strength of dry mustard. There are hundreds of varieties of prepared mustards, including many specialty blends which include a fruit, herb, or spice base. Here are some of the more popular types:

Dijon Mustard: This variety was the first to be regulated. It originates in Dijon, France, and is made with brown and/or black seeds, seasonings, and verjuice (juice of unripe grapes), white wine, wine vinegar or a combination of all three. Pale tan to yellow in color and usually smooth in texture. If it is labeled Dijon-style, it is most likely made in the same manner, but it is not from Dijon, France.

Bordeaux Mustard: Made with grape must (unfermented wine grape juice), usually pale yellow in color.

Beaujolais Mustard: Similar to Bordeaux, but made with different grapes lending a deep burgundy color.

Creole Mustard: Brown mustard seeds are marinated in vinegar, ground and mixed with a hint of horseradish into a hot, spicy mustard.

Meaux Mustard: Also called whole-grain mustard. Roughly crushed, multi-colored mustard seeds mixed with vinegar and spices.

German Mustard: Mild to hot, spicy and mildly sweet. It can range from smooth to coarse-ground, pale yellow to brown in color.

English Mustard: Made from both white and brown or black seeds, flour, and turmeric. Usually very bright yellow in color with an extremely hot spiciness to the tongue.

Chinese Mustard: Normally served as a dipping sauce with Chinese foods. Made from mustard powder and water or wine mixed to a paste. There's nothing fancy about it, making it easy to prepare at home. Be sure to let homemade Chinese mustard rest about 15 minutes for flavor and heat level to develop fully, but no longer as it rapidly loses both within about an hour.

Sweet Mustard: Includes a variety of honey mustards. These are mustards sweetened with honey, syrup, or sugar and can begin with a base of hot or mild mustard seeds depending on personal tastes.

American Mustard: Also called ballpark mustard or yellow mustard due to its bright color, this mildest-flavored mustard is popular at ball parks as a favored condiment for hot dogs. It is made with white mustard seeds mixed with salt, spices and vinegar, usually with turmeric added to enhance the bright color.

This style was first manufactured in 1904 by George T. French as "Cream Salad Mustard," and has become the standard for yellow mustard in America.

French's Classic Yellow Mustard

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons dry ground mustard (mustard flour)

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons white distilled vinegar

1/2 teaspoon flour

1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

Pinch garlic powder

Pinch paprika

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until smooth.

When mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often.

Remove pan from heat. Leave uncovered for 1 minute, then cover pan with a lid until cool. Chill and store in a covered container.

Yield ½ cup

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McDonald’s Hot Mustard Sauce Recipe

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 tablespoons ground dried mustard

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon salt

10-14 drops habanero hot sauce

Combine all ingredients in a small uncovered saucepan. Whisk until smooth.

Turn heat to medium and bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Sauce should thicken in 2 to 3 minutes after it begins to boil. Remove sauce from heat and chill in the refrigerator in a covered container.

Yields 1 cup

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Pickled Mustard Seed (Very good)

You can use these like caviar or topping on anything like crackers or deviled eggs.

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow mustard seed

1 1/2 cups cider or white wine vinegar + 1/3–1/2 cup, divided

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons turmeric

Directions:

Rinse mustard seeds and quickly drain. Pour into a non-reactive saucepan and add vinegar and salt. Allow to soak overnight (or longer) uncovered at room temperature.

The next day, stir in the honey and turmeric (Note: You can also add a vast variety of additional seasonings at this point: tarragon, black or green peppercorns, chipotles in adobo, ginger and lemongrass, etc.).

On the stovetop, bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 15–20 minutes. The seeds will expand, and the mixture will bubble and sputter like polenta or grits, so stirring is important.

Add 1/2 cup vinegar and bring back to a low boil. Pour into prepared jars, seal, and process in a water bath for 15 minutes for pints or smaller, as with bread & butter pickles. Depending on seed moisture you may want to add a splash of vinegar after opening.

Store pickled mustard seeds in jars, refrigerated, up to a year.

Note: Mustard seeds typically continue absorbing liquid for weeks. If the mixture becomes too dense, simply stir in a few spoonful’s of vinegar.

Yields 2 1/2 cups

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Homemade Dijon Mustard

Ingredients:

2 cups dry white wine (Chardonnay)

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup mustard powder

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine the wine, onion and garlic. Heat to boiling and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool and discard the solids.

Add the dry mustard to the liquid, whisking constantly until smooth. Add the oil and salt. Heat slowly until thickened and whisk constantly.

Pour into a glass jar and let cool overnight on the counter. Refrigerate for 2-8 weeks to age.

NOTE: For Honey Dijon Mustard, add 3 tablespoons of honey when you are adding the canola oil and salt.

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Good Ol' Yellow Mustard Recipe

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons dry ground mustard

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons white distilled vinegar

1/2 teaspoons flour

1/4 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoons turmeric

Pinch of garlic powder

Pinch of paprika

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a small pan and whisk over medium until smooth. Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes, stirring often. Cool and chill in a covered container.

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Homemade Honey Mustard

This homemade mustard recipe is my favorite. It should be made 24 hours in advance. Just store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Dijon mustard (Grey Pompon)

3 tablespoons honey - or to taste

2 tablespoons homemade horseradish, drained

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Whisk the first 4 ingredients together and then season with kosher salt and pepper.

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Homemade Hot and Sweet Mustard

Ingredients

1/2 cup mustard powder (see above for recommendation)

1/4 cup leaded or non-leaded beer (or water) and also

1 tablespoons beer or water

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced

2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions:

Whisk the mustard powder with 1/4 cup of beer in a small heat-proof bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a small saucepan.

Add vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, honey and kosher salt to the mustard mixture and whisk until combined.

Now place the heat-proof bowl in the saucepan over the simmering water (bowl should NOT touch the water) and cook, whisking continually until the mixture is slightly thickened and yellow-brown in color. This should take approximately ten minutes.

Add the additional tablespoon of beer to thin the mustard out if needed. Place in an air-tight container and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.

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Hot Jalapeno Mustard

Ingredients:

1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup Dijon mustard, recipe above

2 tablespoons dry mustard

1 tablespoon honey, or to taste (sweetness)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 jalapeno pepper - or to taste, seeded and chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Whisk all of the ingredients together and then season with kosher salt and pepper. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

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Sweet and Sour Mustard

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup cider or raspberry vinegar

1/3 cup dry mustard

2 tablespoons water

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a saucepan, and simmer over low heat until thickened. Pour into small jars. Cover and refrigerate.

http://www.misshomemade.com/homemademustard.html

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Dijon Mustard

Recipe by LeAnn Zotta

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dry mustard (see note below)

1/4 cup cold water

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup dry white wine (preferably vermouth)

1/2 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced shallots

2 tablespoon crushed garlic

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

4 whole juniper berries (or 1 teaspoon gin)

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

In a non-metallic bowl, combine the dry mustard and water to make a paste.

In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, wine, onion, shallots, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, and juniper berries or gin and bring to a simmer. Reduce by two-thirds. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, cover, and refrigerate.

When chilled, stir the vinegar mixture into the mustard paste. Add the lemon juice, salt, and sugar, and then let the prepared mustard stand for a half an hour.

Transfer the mustard to a small saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Put in sterile jars, cover tightly, and store in a dark, cool place for two to three weeks or more, depending on the hotness you prefer—mustard mellows as it ages. Refrigerate after opening.

Note: To make dry mustard, grind seeds in a coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle. If you use a coffee grinder, grind no more than 1⁄4 cup of seeds at a time, for one minute. For each 1⁄2 cup dry mustard, grind a bit less than 1⁄2 cup seed.

Makes about 2 cups

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Grainy Orange-Honey-Tarragon Mustard

Recipe by LeAnn Zotta

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white mustard seeds

1 Tbs. black or brown mustard seeds

1/4 cup dry mustard (see note below)

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Grated zest of one large orange

3 Tablespoon honey

2 Tablespoon minced fresh tarragon leaves

Directions:

Grind all the mustard seeds in a coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle until seeds are pulverized, but not powdered.

In a non-metallic bowl, combine the dry mustard with the vinegar, orange juice, white wine, and turmeric and whisk until smooth. Add the crushed seeds, orange zest, honey, and tarragon and mix well. Scrape the mustard into sterile jars, seal tightly, and allow the flavors to blend in the refrigerator for at least two days.

Note: To make dry mustard, grind seeds in a coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle. If you use a coffee grinder, grind no more than 1⁄4 cup of seeds at a time, for one minute. For each 1⁄2 cup dry mustard, grind a bit less than 1⁄2 cup seed.

Makes about 2 cups

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Chinese Hot Mustard Sauce

Recipe by LeAnn Zotta

Ingredients:

1 cup rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar

1 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon soy sauce

3 tablespoon dry mustard (see note below)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root, or 1 teaspoon powdered

Directions:

Bring to a boil the vinegar, sugar, salt, and soy sauce. Mix the dry mustard and cornstarch in 1⁄2 cup cold water. If you like really hot stuff, add an extra 1⁄2 cup dry mustard made from brown seeds with a little more than 1⁄4 cup cold water. Stir in and cook until the mixture thickens.

Stir in the ginger and remove from heat. Put the mustard in a glass or ceramic container and age for two weeks at room temperature, then refrigerate.

Note: To make dry mustard, grind seeds in a coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle. If you use a coffee grinder, grind no more than 1⁄4 cup of seeds at a time, for one minute. For each 1⁄2 cup dry mustard, grind a bit less than 1⁄2 cup seed.

Makes about 2 cups

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Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

Stir together the honey mustard dipping sauce ingredients, and serve with the hot chicken bites.

Yields ½ cup

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Recipes Using Mustard Greens

Sautéed Mustard Greens

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 large bunch mustard greens

Directions:

Wash mustard greens well, dry, and remove coarse stems. Chop stems into small pieces and leaves into 3 inch pieces. In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium, add onions and garlic and stir-fry until onions are wilted. Add stem pieces, small amount of water, and place lid on skillet. Cook for a few minutes until stems are slightly tender. Add leaves and sauté until all liquid has evaporated and greens are tender. Season with sea salt or soya sauce and serve immediately.

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Spiced Vinegar for Pickling

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons powdered ginger

2 tablespoons mustard seed

2 tablespoons whole pepper

2 tablespoons celery seed

2 tablespoons cloves

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons allspice

2 quarts vinegar

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons salt

Directions:

Put spices into a muslin bag, add to vinegar with sugar, and salt.  Boil 10 minutes.  Use in any recipe calling for spiced vinegar.

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Uncooked Chili Sauce

Ingredients:

½ a peck ripe tomatoes

2 cups celery

2 cups onion

2 red peppers

½ cup salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup white mustard seed

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 quart vinegar

Directions:

Chop tomatoes.  Cut celery, onions and red peppers fine.  Mix all ingredients together.  Pack in glass jars and seal.

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Stir Fried Garlic Spinach with Mustard Seeds

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds, preferably hot variety (see note)

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 ounces fresh baby spinach (or other quick-cooking Asian green), washed and dried

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine

1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar

Kosher salt

Directions:

Heat a wok on high till smoking, then swirl in oil. Heat till shimmering, about 30 seconds, then add mustard seeds. Stir to coat with oil. When seeds begin to pop, press a lid down in the wok for 10 seconds until popping begins to subside. Remove lid and add garlic, stirring vigorously to evenly distribute heat and keep mustard seeds from burning, until garlic is fragrant (about 30 seconds).

Add spinach and stir with tongs to coat in oil. Stir fry until spinach begins to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes, then add rice wine and cook for one minute longer as a thin sauce forms. Remove wok from heat and add rice vinegar and salt to taste. Serve immediately, with rice.

Serves 1 to 2

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Basmati Rice with Figs, Mustard Seeds and Ginger Recipe

Aromatic basmati rice is further enhanced with figs, mustard seeds, and fresh ginger. This delicious dish can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

1/2 cup minced onion

1 tablespoon minced or grated ginger

1 jalapeno or other hot, small pepper, seeded and minced

2 cups basmati rice

Salt to taste

4 small, firm figs, preferably Kadota, diced

Directions:

Put butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, onion, ginger, and jalapeno. Cook until onion softens, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add rice and stir. Add salt, figs, and 3-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Turn heat off and allow to steam another 10 minutes.

Servings: 6

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Garlicky Mustard Greens

Ingredients:

3 pounds mustard greens

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

3 cloves garlic

1 large red bell pepper, chopped (about one cup)

1/2 cup chicken broth, canned or homemade

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

Directions:

Pick through the greens removing yellow, wilted greens and large tough stems and veins. Run the sink full of cool water and wash the greens in three changes of water. Fresh greens hold soil and dirt. Swishing the greens through the cold water removes grit the clinging grit. Drain. Stack several leaves; roll up jelly-roll style. Cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Repeat with remaining greens.

Heat oil in Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook and stir for about 3 minutes. Stir in greens, red bell pepper and chicken broth. Bring to boil then reduce heat to low. Cook, covered for 20 to 25 minutes or until greens are tender. Young greens cook quickly; large older greens can take as long as 45 minutes to become tender. Add more water if needed. In a small bowl, combine vinegar and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Sprinkle over cooked greens, remove from heat. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings

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Braised Mustard Greens with Smoked Turkey

Directions:

The traditional southern preparation of mustard (and turnip) greens involves long, slow cooking with salt pork, bacon ends or ham hocks. This cooking method is high in both salt and fat. Tradition is difficult to break; however, similar results can be achieved by substituting smoked turkey parts and using garlicky oil rather than bacon fat. The following traditional southern recipe has been modified for your health in the 21st century.

1 smoked turkey leg or wing

Water

In a large pot, cover the smoked turkey leg with water and bring to a boil. Boil for about five minutes, pour off the water, cover with fresh water and continue boiling until the turkey leg is tender. About one hour. Pierce with a fork to test for doneness. When cool, remove meat from the bone and chop, if desired or leave whole. Set aside.

While the turkey is cooking, prepare the mustard greens.

3 pounds young mustard greens

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 cup chopped onions

Pick through the greens removing yellow, wilted greens and large tough stems and veins. Fill the sink with cool water and wash the greens in three changes of water. Fresh greens hold soil and dirt. Swishing the greens through the cold water removes the clinging grit. Then drain.

While the greens drain, place a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, not smoking, add the garlic, red pepper flakes and chopped onions. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Add 2 cups water or the cooking liquid from the turkey leg. Bring to a boil. Add the washed greens to the boiling pot, one handful at a time.

Use a long handled fork to push the greens down into the cooking water. If all the greens do not fit into the pot, cover for 2-3 minutes while the greens cook. The greens will cook down or shrink. Add more greens until all have been added to the pot. Continue cooking until the greens are tender. Young garden fresh mustard greens will cook in about 20 minutes. Older tougher greens will take longer, up to 45 minutes of cooking time.

Sample the greens after 20 minutes, if they are tender, add the chopped smoked turkey. Continue cooking until the turkey is heated, about 10 minutes. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve.

Makes 6 servings

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Chapter 6: Culinary Uses and recipes

Mustard is a popular spice and one of the most well-known and widely used condiments in the world. Because of its nutritive value, its pungent taste and aroma adding this great spice to our foods is beneficial and enjoyable.  The use of the mustard seed goes beyond mustard; it has been used for years when roasting, pickling, making sausages, and boiling vegetables.

It is also used as an ingredient in a variety of recipes including curries, salad dressings, barbecue sauces, mayonnaise spreads, rice dishes, and meat dishes. The seeds are used in whole or ground into powder or the oil extracted for cooking.

The mustard seed contains nutrients, vitamins and minerals including omega 3 fatty acids, magnesium, calcium, iron, selenium, manganese, beta carotene, vitamin A, zinc and niacin, which are all essential in the diet. The mustard seed also stimulates your digestive system.

The young leaves make an excellent addition to your salad and are a nutritious food, whether eaten raw or sautéed, stewed, or cooked in a stir fry, soup or a stew.

The mustard plant’s leaves are a good source of calcium, vitamin A and vitamin C.  The mustard seed is the third leading source of edible oil in the world with Soybean oil being the first. There’s more to mustard than a condiment.  If you taste mustard seed you will find it very bitter and hot. However, if you put some heat to it, and then taste it and it becomes a whole new taste.  Also, when you make your own mustard, be sure to let it sit overnight to calm it (the hotness) down.

Of course, there are any number of ways you can use mustard, whether cooking with it or adding it to pickles, vinegars, oils, and rice. It gives a nice bit to any type of food without burning like hot peppers.  You can use the whole plant or just the ground or whole seeds.  Below are recipes you can try out using mustard seeds and ground mustard.

Dry Mustard Kitchen Recipes

Spicy Mustard Green Pesto

Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Cook: 5 mins

Brilliantly green, this mustard green pesto packs a bit of a kick. It pairs beautifully with roasted potatoes, tomato salads and sourdough breads. Choose a good quality, extra virgin olive oil (get one here), that's rich in antioxidants which can add to the complexity of flavors achieved in this spicy pesto.

Ingredients

■ 1/2 cup chopped pecans

■ 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

■ 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

■ 6 cloves garlic (crushed)

■ 2 bunches mustard greens (trimmed and chopped)

■ 1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt

■ 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Toss pecans, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds into a bowl, and cover them by 2 inches with warm water. Allow them to soak for 4 to 6 hours, drain and rinse well. If you're in a bind, you can substitute sprouted or roasted nuts and seeds.

2. Place soaked pecans, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and garlic into your food processor. Pulse 3 to 4 times until just combined. Toss in mustard greens and sea salt and pulse for a few seconds.

3. Turn the food processor on and slowly drizzle olive oil into the seeds and greens until it forms a smooth and uniform paste. Serve immediately or transfer to mason jars, cap with additional olive oil and refrigerate for up to a month. http://nourishedkitchen.com/spicy-mustard-green-pesto/

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Garlic-Mustard Glaze

Adapted from Bobby Flay

This is amazing, garlicky and smoky-spicy and well-seasoned, with just a modicum of salt.

Bobby Flay suggests you put this on beef tenderloin skewers. I say you put it on anything you please. This was especially great with a simple tomato salad on the side.

Makes about 3/4 cup of glaze, or enough to cover and baste two pounds of skewered meat.

■ 1/4 cup whole grain mustard

■ 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

■ 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

■ 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

■ 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

■ 1 tablespoon honey

■ 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

■ 2 teaspoons Spanish paprika

■ 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

■ 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before using.  http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/07/garlic-mustard-glazed-skewers/

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Baked Ham in Champagne Recipe

The ham basting sauce is made with champagne, brown sugar, honey, ginger, and dry mustard.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes

Yield: 15 to 20 servings

Ingredients:

■ 1 (9-pound) boneless ham

■ 1 (1-pound) box light brown sugar

■ 2 (4/5 quart) bottles extra dry champagne

■ 3 Tablespoons honey

■ 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

■ 1-1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

Directions:

Score ham and place ham on rack in baking pan. Cover top with 1 cup brown sugar and pour over 1 bottle champagne over ham. Bake at 325 degrees F. 2 hours.

Combine remaining bottle champagne, remaining brown sugar, honey, ginger, and mustard and bring to rolling boil in saucepan. Lower heat and simmer while basting ham every 15 minutes until done. Garnish with pineapple slices and spiced apples, if desired.

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Baked Tropical Spareribs Recipe

Pineapple, pomegranate, and lime flavor the barbecue sauce for oven-baked spareribs giving them a tropical flair. No grill necessary, and the ingredients are available year-round. The perfect flavor for a taste of summer in the winter. The tropical barbecue sauce is delicious on any type of ribs, burgers, and chicken or use as a dipping sauce.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Tropical Barbecue Sauce:

■ 1 teaspoon butter

■ 1/2 cup sweet onions, finely chopped

■ 3/4 cup light brown sugar

■ 1 Tablespoon dry mustard

■ 1 cup cider vinegar

■ 1 cup (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, w/liquid

■ 3/4 cup ketchup

■ Juice of 1 lime

■ 1/2 cup pomegranate juice

■ 2 Tablespoons soy sauce

■ 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Spareribs:

■ 5 pounds pork spareribs cut into 2 to 3 rib pieces

■ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a shallow baking pan with nonstick foil.

Place sweet onions in butter in a small saucepan and sauté until soft and translucent. Add brown sugar, dry mustard, cider vinegar, pineapple, ketchup, lime juice, pomegranate juice, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until combined and cook over medium heat until reduced and thickened, 20 to 30 minutes.

While barbecue sauce is cooking, place spareribs meaty side up in a single layer in the pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes and drain off any excess fat.

Remove spareribs and reduce oven to 325 F. Turn spareribs over so bony side is up. Spoon about 1 cup of the sauce over the spareribs and bake 45 minutes. Turn spareribs over again to meaty side up and top with about 1 cup barbecue sauce. Bake an additional 45 minutes until tender.

Let rest 10 minutes, and then serve spareribs with any remaining tropical barbecue sauce on the side. http://homecooking.about.com/od/porkrecipes/r/blpork77.htm

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Amaretto Spinach Salad Recipe

Amaretto liqueur lends almond flavor to red wine bacon vinaigrette dressing for fresh or wilted spinach salad. It is quite easy to make and is packed with flavor.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

■ 2 pounds spinach (4 bunches)

■ 1 pound bacon, diced

■ 1/2 cup salad oil

■ 2 large cloves garlic, crushed

■ 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

■ /2 cup lemon juice

■ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

■ 1 teaspoon dry mustard

■ 1/4 cup Disaronno® Originale Amaretto

■ Salt and pepper to taste

■ 1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced

■ 1 small red onion, sliced

Directions:

Wash spinach. Remove large stems and tear into bite-size pieces. Store in plastic bags in refrigerator until ready to use.

To make dressing:

Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crisp and all fat is rendered. Remove bacon, reserve 1/8 cup bacon fat, and discard rest.

Return bacon fat to skillet and add oil, garlic, wine vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, Amaretto, salt, and pepper. Simmer until blended.

When ready to serve, place spinach, mushrooms, red onion, and reserved bacon in large salad bowl. If you like a wilted salad, pour the dressing over very hot; if not, let cool a bit before serving; toss well. http://homecooking.about.com/od/saladrecipes/r/blsalad53.htm

Recipe Source: DiSaronno® Originale Amaretto

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■

Bacon and Double Cheeseburger Loaf Recipe

This hearty meatloaf combines all your favorite bacon cheeseburger ingredients.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

■ 4 slices bacon

■ 1-1/2 pounds lean ground chuck or ground round

■ 1 cup firm fresh white bread crumbs

■ 1 cup coarsely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

■ 1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, chopped

■ 2 tablespoons regular or low-fat mayonnaise

■ 2 tablespoons India or other sweet pickle relish

■ 2 teaspoons dry mustard

■ 3/4 teaspoon salt

■ 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

■ 1 egg

■ 1/4 cup ketchup

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until it is limp and some of the fat is rendered, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the bacon from the skillet and reserve it.

In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to gently but thoroughly mix together the meat, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of the cheese, onion, mayonnaise, relish, mustard, salt, pepper and egg. Pat the mixture into a shallow 2-quart baking pan. Spread the top of the loaf with the ketchup, and then lay the bacon strips over the ketchup. Bake until the loaf is firm and the bacon is crisp, 45 to 50 minutes, sprinkling the top of the loaf with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese to melt during the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking. Internal temperature should be 155 degrees. Let the meatloaf stand in the baking dish for 10 minutes, then cut into squares to serve. http://homecooking.about.com/od/beefrecipes/r/blbeef86.htm

Source: Everybody Loves Meatloaf by Melanie Barnard (Harper Perennial Library)

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Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Warm Spices

These potatoes are the perfect accompaniment to Six-Spice Braised Short Ribs.

Serves 6-8Yields about 7 cups

Ingredients:

■ 2-1/2 to 3 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4 large), peeled and quartered

■ 1 Tbs. corn oil

■ 1-1/2 tsp. yellow split peas

■ 1 tsp. cumin seeds

■ 2 Tbs. unsalted butter

■ 1 large white onion, cut 1/4-inch dice (about 2 cups)

■ 1/4 tsp. turmeric

■ 2 tsp. honey

■ 1 tsp. Coleman’s mustard powder

■ 3/4 cup whole milk; more if needed

■ 2 Tbs. heavy cream

■ Kosher salt

■ Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan, add cold water cover by at least an inch, 1 tsp. salt, and bring water to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium to maintain a steady (not raging) boil, and cook until the potatoes are tender all the way through but don’t fall apart when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the corn oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the split peas and cook just until they start to turn golden brown (watch carefully: split peas can quickly go from golden brown to dark brown to burned), about 3 minutes. Add the cumin seeds and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the butter, onion, and turmeric and cook until the onion is transparent, 4 to 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk the honey and mustard powder until smooth. Stir in the milk and cream and then add this mixture to the onions and spices. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let it sit on the burner.

When the potatoes are tender, drain them and return them to their saucepan over medium heat. Dry the potatoes, shaking the pan and stirring with a rubber spatula, until they look floury and leave a light film on the bottom of the pan. Put the dry potatoes through a ricer or food mill, or mash them with a hand masher until they’re lump-free.

Pour the hot creamy onion mixture into the pan with the warm mashed potatoes. Stir slowly with a wooden spoon to thoroughly combine. If the potatoes seem dry, moisten with a little more milk. Transfer the spiced mashed potatoes to a serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at once.

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Mustard Spice Rub for Anything

Ingredients:

■ 1 Tbs. dry mustard

■ 1 Tbs. packed light brown sugar

■ 1 Tbs. kosher salt

■ 1 Tbs. sweet paprika

■ 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

■ 1 tsp. garlic powder

■ 1/2 tsp. celery seed

Directions:

Mix together and rub on any meat, fish, vegetable or fruit.

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There are thousands of ways to use dry mustard. Try it in any recipe you have to give an extra touch to all your meals.

Home Remedy for Burns

You can also use table mustard to burns.  If you burn yourself anywhere on your body, put some table mustard on it and let it dry. The burn won’t blister and the pain will go away in 5 to 10 minutes depending on the severity of the burn and they type of mustard you use. You can use French’s mustard, spicy mustard or Dijon mustard. Any type of mustard you have on have including Grey Pompon will work on any type of burn from sunburn to 3 degree burns.

Chapter 7: Encouraging News:  Pest Control/Fertilizer/Biodiesel Fuel

Recent research has suggested the possible use of mustard plants for creation of biodiesel, which can be used as a clean, green alternative to motor oil or diesel fuel. They are also working on using mustard for crop rotation, pest control, fertilizer, and companion planting.

Agricultural studies have been done and continue to be done on the uses of mustard seed meal (MSM), in production of fertilizer, weed control, along with biodiesel from the mustard seed oil.

Using the oil from the production of the meal and/or using the meal left over after the oil is pressed out, literally using the whole plant, a double blessing ending.  Benefits include but are not limited to; Profitable businesses for farmers and land owners,

Each step of the process is a business opportunity; growing, harvesting and processing. As demand increases, so will profitability.  An effective and biodegradable pesticide and fertilizer for all gardens, a renewable biodiesel fuel, and clean green alternative oil produced from one of nature’s tiniest seeds. We need to keep an eye on the mustard seed and plant as it could very easily change our lives, and yes save our lives in many ways. Very encouraging!

Visit the National Mustard Museum

If you take a stroll through the Nation Mustard Museum, you’ll see how they used mustard in the past and how they are using it today to increase crops. If you’re in Wisconsin, take a day trip to the National Mustard Museum at: 7477 Hubbard Avenue, Middleton, WI 53562 USA

You’ll see over 5,000 different mustards from 50 states and over 70 countries. They have seeds and plant you can purchase, plus, exquisite Gibbons Collection of mustard pots to antique tins & jars and vintage advertisements. It’s the shining temple to the “King of Condiments”.  You can also visit them online at http://store.mustardmuseum.com/. Order what you need for your garden as companion plants or you can find any type of mustard from all over the world.

Companion Planting

To keep our plant green and cut down on chemical fertilizer you can use mustard to increase the production of many crops. You can also use it as a pest control with other plants. The list below is the plants that grow well with mustard as their side partner.

Mustard contains high levels of glucosinolates, which is a natural chemical property that makes certain members of the brassica family spicy. Glucosinolates deliver a deadly punch to many soil-borne pathogens (nematodes and fungi) and weeds, making them an effective, all-natural alternative to chemical herbicides.  It also a fast-growing cover crop that quickly crowds out weeds.

Mustard helps with:

■ Reducing insects, nematodes and fungal disease in the soil

■ Increases organic matter in the soil

■ Recycle and redistribute nitrogen in the soil profile

■ Reduces wind and water erosion

■ Improves the long-term health of your soil

■ Repossess carbon in the soil

■ Provide an all-natural alternative to toxic chemicals

You can plant mustard in:

■ Fruit & vegetable gardens

■ Potato fields

■ Grain fields

■ Vineyards

■ Orchards

■ Hoop houses

Problem Insects for Mustard

Again, A gentle reminder pay attention destroyers: Mustard greens suffer when attacked by insects, and this tender green attracts a number of pests, including cabbage worms, flea beetles and aphids. To keep them under control plant mint near mustard greens to repels cabbage worms. Positioning mustard greens near tansy, yarrow, flowering buckwheat, dill and fennel will attract insects such as ladybugs and lacewings that feed on aphids.

Mustard not only brings in beneficial bugs to rid the world of bad bugs, but it also puts needed nutrients back in the soil. Mustard also manages soil-borne pests and weeds – a technique known as biofumigation.

Plants to Avoid Near Mustard

Location, Location, Location: Never plant mustard greens near sunflower, soybeans and dried beans as all of these plants can suffer from the same disease problems, such as downy mildew, white rust, leaf spots and mosaic virus. These plants pass diseases back and forth between each other, infecting your entire crop. Wild mustard, pigweed, field pennycress and shepherd's purse should also be kept well away from mustard greens, as these weeds may also pass along diseases.

Avoid planting mustard with Brassicas, which include broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, and cauliflower. Use rosemary to repel cabbage fly, geraniums trap cabbage worms and for other Brassicas pest problems.

Plants That Provide Shade for Mustard

Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Mustard greens prefer to be planted in full sun, but can tolerate partial shade. If the weather is too hot the mustard will go to seed too quickly. Because mustard grows best in cooler weather, planting tall vegetables and flowers neighboring to mustard greens provides shade that helps prevent them from going to seed from hot temperatures. Corn is an excellent choice for companion planting with mustard greens, as are vining flowers and vegetables such as English peas, snap peas, jasmine and clematis.

End Thoughts and Prayer

Whether you choose to plant mustard in your garden or you classify this plant a weed as many do; one thing is certain there are multiple blessings for us in this one plant and seed. Let's move on and search out the blessings our creator has deposited for us in the Olive Leaf, 2nd book in the Plant & Seed Legacy Series.

We know that every seed has great significance. Remember, you too are a seed planted in the earth to flourish.

Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV)

"The Lord bless you and keep you;                                                                                                                   The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;                                                      The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace".

References and Resources:

I am in no way affiliated with these companies. I don’t receive any compensation from them; however, I do buy their products when I need them.

Mustard Bath Recipe

Clover Leaf Farm Herbs

http://www.cloverleaffarmherbs.com/modes-of-use/mustard-plasters/#sthash.BM2RPoEe.dpbs

Mustard Plaster Recipe

From Clover Leaf Farm Herbs

http://www.cloverleaffarmherbs.com/modes-of-use/mustard-plasters/#sthash.BM2RPoEe.dpbs

Mustard Powder by the Ounce

Healing Waters Clinic & Herb Shop

http://herbshop.healingwatersclinic.com

Mustard Seeds and Powder

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/

http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Herbs

http://www.starwest-botanicals.com/

http://www.floridaherbhouse.com/

http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/

http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/spices/mustblk.html

Growing Mustard

http://www.groworganic.com/catalogsearch/result/?order=relevance&dir=desc&q=mustard+seeds&x=29&y=12

http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/mustard/mustard-florida-broad-leaf-prod000887.html

http://parkseed.com/

http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/spices/mustblk.html

How Mustard Is Used

http://mustardmuseum.com/

http://mustardmuseum.com/burn-relief/

http://lifehackery.com/2009/01/06/12-of-the-most-surprising-uses-for-mustard/

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_seed

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mustar65.html

http://www.nairaland.com/208591/healing-power-mustard-seed-it

http://www.ehow.com/info_8514969_wild-mustard-uses.html

http://www.indianmirror.com/ayurveda/mustard.html

http://culinaryherbguide.com/growing/growingmustard.htm

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mustard-oil.htm

http://www.vivisoriginalsauce.com/Mustard%20Facts.html

http://tophomeremedies.com/mustard-seed/

http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail369.php

http://www.liveandfeel.com/medicinalplants/mustard.html

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/mustard-seeds.html

http://saeedghani.pk/home/our-products/hair-oils/101-culinary-uses-of-mustard-oil.html

http://homecooking.about.com/od/drymustardrecipes/Dry_Mustard_Recipes_Recipes_using_dry_mustard.htm

http://homecooking.about.com/od/mustardseedrecipes/Mustard_Seed_Recipes_Recipes_using_mustard_seeds.htm

Other Mustard Information for Your Reading Pleasure

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culinary_mustard

Some very useful historical background on mustard seeds as well as a sweet recipe for braised pork chops with cream mustard sauce.

http://www.apinchof.com/mustard1053.html

Wonderful compilation of data from the Texas Herb Society

http://herbsociety-stu.org/Mustard.htm

Mustard substitution

http://www.cheftalk.com/t/67437/mustard-seed-substitution

Bunch of Different Recipes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/mustard_seeds

How to Grow Mustard Indoors

http://mightyherbs.blogspot.com/2009/10/mustard.html

http://www.gardenguides.com/69695-grow-mustard.html

http://www.heirloom-organics.com/guide/va/guidetogrowingmustard.html

http://gardening.knoji.com/how-to-grow-fennel-and-mustard-plants-inside-your-home/

http://www.experts123.com/q/can-mustard-greens-be-grown-indoors.html

http://grow-vegetables-at-home.com/how-to-grow-mustard-and-cress-at-home-for-profit/

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_does_mustard_grow_best

http://www.smartgardener.com/plants/4240-mustard-greens-tender-tat/guide/start_indoors

Notable Quotes:

http://www.quotesdaddy.com/tag/Mustard

http://www.foodreference.com/html/qmustard.html

Misc. Links:

http://www.zalmo.com/charroux/

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/436084

http://mustardmuseum.com/

http://isbn.im/download/0333689089.pdf

http://www.biblegateway.com/

Table of Contents

Introduction

Preamble

About Plant & Seed Legacy Series

Thoughts from the Author

Chapter 1

Medicinal Use of Mustard Seed

The Man Who Made Mustard Baths A Household Name

Chapter 2: Benefits of Mustard Seed Rubs, Baths and Plasters

The Ancient New Way of Healing

Balanced pH And the Wonderful Dance of Detox

The Happiness Feeling Stays

Recipes for Mustard Bath

Mustard Plaster

The Original Mustard Plaster

Chapter 3: Overcoming Mustard Misconceptions

How Long Has It Been Used?

Chapter 4: How Does Your Mustard Grow?

Outdoor Garden

Types of Mustard to Grow

How to Plant Mustard Seed

Grow in Containers

Harvesting Your Mustard

Indoor Mustard Garden

Pests and Diseases Indoor and Outdoor

That’s All the Mustard

Chapter 5

Basic Mustard Recipe

Basic Country Mustard Recipe

Flavored Mustard:

Special Bonus

Other Mustard Recipes

Clone Mustards

Recipes Using Mustard Greens

Chapter 6: Culinary Uses and recipes

Dry Mustard Kitchen Recipes

Home Remedy for Burns

Chapter 7: Encouraging News: Pest Control/Fertilizer/Biodiesel Fuel

Visit the National Mustard Museum

Companion Planting

Problem Insects for Mustard

Plants to Avoid Near Mustard

Plants That Provide Shade for Mustard

End Thoughts

References and Resources: