[Sca-cooks] Grinding mustard seed

[Sue Clemenger]

The only times I've ever ground mustard seed in quantity, I was going
for a "coarsely ground" effect, so I used my blender, with the seeds
moistened.  My hands won't take doing it in a mortar and pestle--at
least, not the one I've got.  Also, the folks to whom I give it prefer
the coarser texture--makes it handy for spreading on sandwiches and
such. Someday, I'll play with finer textures--and then, I'll probably do
what others have suggested, and grind the seeds to a meal or powder when
dry, using my spices-only coffee grinder.
I actually make quite a bit of what I call "cider" mustard for largesse
packages, generally starting with one pound of seed (half yellow and
half brown).
My process goes something like:
1.  Put seed in large, non-reactive bowl.  Add real cider vinegar to
cover, plus an inch.  Come back in a couple of hours, and add some more
vinegar, or start adding hard cider (the seeds swell and take up all the
moisture).  Cover and let sit overnight, at least.
2.  The next day, grind the wet seeds in small batches in a blender,
adding enough hard cider to keep the process working, but not make it
runny. Pulverize until desired consistency is achieved.
3.  Season the mustard goop with enough honey to give it just a hint of
sweetness, and season to taste with hippocras powder (I use the recipe
from His Grace's _Miscellany_).
4.  If you want to put it in jars for presentation/largesse gifts, I
recommend using the little 4 oz. jam jars.  They need to be cleaned and
sterilized (the box recommends 10 mins in boiling water for the jars
themselves, and hot-not boiling-water for the lids), and kept in hot
water until they're filled.  I do not bother to heat up the mustard
itself--I just put it in the jars, make sure the place where the lids
will go is clean, slap the lids on, and process them in a boiling water
bath for 10-15 mins.  After they cool, I check to make sure they all
sealed, of course.
One pound of mustard seed will generally take up to a 6-pack of hard
cider.  I try to use equivalent amounts of cider and vinegar, but it's a
do-it-by-eyeballing-it procedure, so there are variations....
The extra mustard keeps really well in a sealed container in the freezer
or fridge.
--maire, gaining a reputation as the northern Artemisian mustard queen
<g>

Nick Sasso wrote:
>
> So, having mentioned this in a closing, has anyone actually ground
> large quantities of mustard seed themselves?  I can ojnly describe what
> I have done as a huge pain in the @ss.