Everyone, everywhere: National Mustard Day was Saturday, August 6!
How could I have missed that?
If you’re going to celebrate a condiment, mustard is a worthy one. (In my humble opinion.)
How could I have missed that?
Well, I guess it was because on that same day we had a Back to (Grad) School party for our Musical Millennial on the heels of a very fun and rewarding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) event at work for most of the day, where we hosted almost 300 kids from toddlers through high school seniors with almost 40 cool activities. My job was in the High School Hall, where they made innovative creations with Legos in teams, the only guidance being “make something that can be used in the future”. Every one of the teams created a device that would produce clean energy or help to clean up our ecosystem. Gotta love kids!
So I was too busy and didn’t celebrate mustard on its actual day, but it’s never too late, right? Like when you miss someone’s birthday and send a card or a gift later, you actually get more notice and appreciation because they’re not as overwhelmed as when everything came in at once. I might or might not do that on purpose sometimes… 😊
What’s not to love about mustard? It is diverse; appreciated and utilized in different ways in numerous cultures and cuisines. From Dijon in French food to bright yellow ballpark on an American hotdog… from sweet German mustard on a bratwurst to hot Chinese mustard on an eggroll or steamed dumpling… from English mustard on a ploughman’s lunch to whole-grain mustard on a charcuterie board — that spicy condiment is a great partner, like a Best Supporting Actor for foods.
Every part of the mustard plant is edible, and it also doubles as medicine! It is durable and lasts a long time in the refrigerator. There’s a National Mustard Museum, and rightly so! (Mayo doesn’t have its own museum, I’m just sayin’.)
We keep a variety of mustards on hand at Glover Gardens, because you never know when you might need something special, for a panini on Sandwich Wednesday or a sausage dog on a weekend. Or to create a quick slaw, dressing or marinade, or give a kick to a sauce. Below is the bare minimum mustard collection at Glover Gardens.
When I did the Mustard Parade for the photo, I realized I was out of Boetje’s, which just won’t do at all. So I ordered a box, which arrived just a few days ago. I learned about Boetjie’s from a Glover Gardens follower who commented on a post several years ago, and it is my go-to stone ground variety. It comes from Illinois in a six-pack, so I make gifts out of several of them when I get my bounty in the mail. You may find this in your Christmas stocking…
You’ve probably realized that I love love love mustard, in all its forms. Let’s celebrate National Mustard Day belatedly, in pictures.
To close, here are a couple of Glover Gardens recipes that use this venerable condiment.
Next year, we’ll celebrate this supporting actor of foods on the right day with a recipe made just for the occasion. What should it be? Do you have ideas?
© 2022, Glover Gardens
I must confess I overlooked the day as well. I will make up with some mustard on my ham sandwich lunchtime tomorrow!
It’s never too late to celebrate mustard, @Kevin!