Recipes

Fermented Mustard

Homemade fermented mustard

(more guidelines rather than a recipe)

I love making homemade mustard and it's simple as anything.

I make small batches since I'm the only one in the house who eats it. A jar last me anywhere from a few months to a couple years, and I often have several different varieties in the icebox. (Learn from my errors and label your jars!)

Grind 1/4 cup brown mustard seeds (I use a coffee grinder) until they're as fine as you want them; anything from powder to barely crushed at all works. I like a fair bit of big seed bits left in mine.

Put the seeds in a widemouth pint canning jar and add some boiling water to make a very thick (barely stirable) paste. Stir well and let sit 10 minutes. It will thicken up more.

Add some raw vinegar (I've used applecider vinegar, blackcurrant vinegar, garlic/herb infused vinegar; each brings its own deliciousness to the mustard), to get to a texture just a bitter thicker than you like.

Add ~1/2-1 tsp finely ground celtic salt, ~1 tsp of raw honey, fruit juice, or raw sugar (optional), and 1 tbls of finished water kefir, kombucha, or whey (to provide a probiotic boost).

Blend well; I use a KitchenAid stick blender, which fits nicely in the jar.

Cover with a piece of waxed paper tied on with string and leave at room temp for 3-7 days. Check the flavour daily; each day at room temp the mustard will cure and lose a bit of its heat; when it's the mildness/hotness you want, put on an airtight lid and put it in the icebox.

I've never had a batch mold or go off; sometimes it discolours a bit, but it still tastes good.

You can also experiment with adding wine, dried herbs and spices, etc. I've used fresh garlic, but wasn't as impressed with the garlic mustard as I'd hoped, so I haven't used it again (I prefer it in my homemade mayo *g*).

You can add turmeric; it adds a bitter note and a yellow colour (and then your mustard will stain everything, so eat neatly *g*)

Mrs. Lotz' Yum-Yum Cake

This comes from the recipe box of my great great aunt, Mary Brennan Girard. There's no date, but the card is very brown and the recipe was written with a fountain pen rather than bpp.

Please note that none of Mary's recipes have been modernised and are 60-100 years old. The ones that are canned or preserved are not in line with modern safety practices.

I haven't tried this yet; I'd have to add eggs or something to hold it together since I'm gluten-free.

2 T lard or butter or shortening
2 c. sugar, either brown or white
1# grapes, seeded
any amt dried fruits you wish
2 c. boiling water

Mix togther and boil slowly 5 min then cool.

Sift together:

3 c. flour
1 heaping tsp soda
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1 heaping tsp cloves
1 heaping tsp nutmeg

Add the flour to the wet mixture. stir in 1 cup chopped nuts.

Bake 45 minutes in a moderate oven. (it usually takes a little longer.)

If you wish add 1 T whiskey

Aunt Mary's Banana Bread

From the same recipe box, and another one I haven't tried.

1/2 c sugar
1/4 c lard or shortening
1 beaten egg
1 cup bran
2 T water
1 1/2 c mashed bananas

mix all well.

in clean bowl sift together:
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 t salt
2 t baking powder
1/2 t soda
1 t vanilla
mix together and add 1/2 c chopped nuts. bake at 350 for 1 hour or until done.

Aunt Mary's Green Tomato Relish

Please note that none of Mary's recipes have been modernised and are 60-100 years old. The ones that are canned or preserved are not in line with modern safety practices.

12 green tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 greenpepper
4 large onions

chop all finely.

add:
2 1/2 cups vinegar
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 T salt
2 t celery seed
2 t mustard seed

Mary's Strawberry Preserves

Please note that none of Mary's recipes have been modernised and are 60-100 years old. The ones that are canned or preserved are not in line with modern safety practices.

2 pints of berries
1/2 cup lemon juice, strained
5 cups sugar

Wash and hull the berries and pour the sugar over them. Let them sit at least 4 hours or overnight.

Bring to a boil, boil for eight minutes, add the lemon juice and bring quickly to the boil a second time. Boil two minutes.

Remove from the fire, cool well, stir, and pour into sterilized hot glasses or glass jars. Seal with paraffin.

Allowing the berries to cool after boiling and stirring before bottling will prevent the separation of the berries and sirup and distribute them evenly in the glasses.

Mary's Caramel Frosting

3 cups brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1 cup rich milk
2 T butter

Mix sugar, salt, and milk and boil to hardball stage, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in butter, and beat well until it's spreadable, then work fast before it hardens.

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