Packaging Completed

Last night I ignored the wise advise of my massaaaaage therapist, and instead of taking a hot bath, I made 24 toppers for my bags o'buckeyes. I had to, I just had to.

And the night before I finally decided on how to finish these jars of Mustard. I put a wimpy, but nicely tied bow of Mustard ribbon on the top of the jars, then I made tags so had something to wrap around the lid (I used elastic gold cord) to make it look less plain.

These babies are all now in the fridge, under all the bags o'buckeyes, waiting for delivery Saturday night.

And for one final touch, to class them up even more, I have these:

I'm thinking I'll staple one to the back of each tag. Now who would not want a free donut, hmm? Hey, I have class...it might be lower class, but it's still class. ;-)

For those who have asked, here is the recipe for the Mustard:

Homemade Grainy Mustard

3/4 C Yellow Mustard seeds
1/4 C Brown Mustard seeds
3 T Honey
1/3 C Sherry or Malt Vinegar
1/4 C Irish Whiskey
1 T Fine Sea Salt

Combine the yellow and brown mustard seeds in a bowl, cover with water, and leave to soak for 6 to 8 hours or as long as over night.

Drain the seeds well and pour them into a food processor. Process until the mixture begins to look creamy and emulsified. Add the honey, vinegar, whiskey and salt, and process again to mix.

Pour the mustard into a bowl, cover, and let stand over night at room temperature. The next day, check the consistency and flavor. If it is too thick and the taste is perfect, add a little more water. Adjust the other ingredients according to your taste. It will be hot!

Spoon the mustard into sterilized jars, cover, and store in the refrigerator, where it will keep almost indefinitely. Homemade mustard benefits from at least a week's rest before using to allow the flavors to blend.

I had more brown mustard seeds than yellow, so mine is even hotter. Look in ethnic (Asian/Indian) grocery stores for bags of the mustard seeds. I also asked if I could leave out the whiskey, and I was told the consistency of the finished product would not be right, so I obeyed the order to leave it in. But feel free to try leaving it out, and if you succeed, please report back on what you did!