Mustard Seeds

 

Magic Realism / Eyvind Earle/ Mustard Field

So, since we appear to be careening headlong into a compression of our lifestyles, I figure the only thing to do is to make provisions against what seems to be the most likely future.

I kinda think that the inflation thing is gonna keep going strong.  It isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it isn’t gonna make things all lollipops and rainbows.

The thing that is going to be hard for folks is getting back to the idea that most of the time you will be cooking for yourself.  I know for a fact that, when I was gainfully employed and had a bigger leftover at the end of paying the day to day, going out to eat was a preferred option.  The pleasure of being served and having someone else clean up after you was pretty strong.  But Inflation is going to make this go away.  Hell, even street burritos are going for $10.00 now, how long can that last?

So I am dropping down to maybe just breakfast with the guys ever other week, and I am going to stop trying to grab the checks and let them start paying (that isn’t going to be as easy as I try to make it sound).  

So yesterday’s lesson was a first attempt at homemade mustard.  One of my easy/sleazy dinner meals is the simple joys of a hot dog (or two).  So I figure that I need to work out how to make this work.  I think it is gonna be a while before I will be making my own hot dogs, but the rest of the dish needs to be looked at.  I started with mustard.  A bottle of decent mustard is pretty spendy, even at cash and carry.  A beer mustard runs you around $4.00 a bottle.  So I went over to Bobs Red mill and picked up some mustard seed ($1.60).

Brown Mustard

8 ounces of mustard seeds

1 cup of dark ale

1-½ cup of Apple Cider vinegar

1 tablespoon of salt

1 teaspoon of crushed garlic

The actual prep is pretty easy.  

• Dump everything into a quart mason jar, let it sit for two days.

• Put the mason jar in a water bath after the soak and run the water bath heats the mixture up to 180℉.

• Run it through a blender until the consistency is right, then put it into 8 ounce mason jars and water bath pack for 12 minutes.

Tasted and it is god-awful strong.  The lady who talked me through this told me it will be right after it sits a month or so so it can mellow out.

 

The yield was four (4) half pint mason jars