yellow bottle of mustard

I’m not a huge fan of mustard. I like to eat it with french fries sometimes and that’s about it. The Deer Hunter loves mustard and will eat it all sorts of ways.

I recently received the comment below and have been perplexed by it ever since. Whenever I have a question about old time ways you all know who I ask…you! I’ve never known anyone to make homemade mustard of any kind, but find the use of squash especially interesting.

Hello Mrs. Tipper your supper looks so good. I cook the same things all the time. I have been wondering if you knew how to make fresh mustard like you put on hotdogs or you can eat on beans. My aunt use to make that stuff and she would make it out of squash but it ain’t the same as pickle relish it is real smooth like yellow mustard out of the jar. That stuff is delicious. She is older now and in bad health and I can’t get the recipe from her. Just wandering if maybe you knew what I am talking about. A lot of the older people in my family are now gone and a lot of the old recipes are gone with them. If I would have known I would have paid closer attention while they were making things like that. Anyways it is a pleasure to watch you cook and your food looks great.

—Michelle Merrell 


Have you ever heard of mustard made from squash?

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29 Comments

  1. We always had mustard on the table, usually a big jar of Plotchman’s horseradish mustard. That stuff was good at opening your sinuses! We also had a bit bottle of ketchup on the table too, usually Brooks brand tangy ketchup. There was also a bottle of grandma’s hot peppers in vinegar there, as well.

  2. I have a funny and somewhat embarrassing story involving mustard. I was about 15 and visiting my grandmother. Mid afternoon I began to feel hunger pains and went to the kitchen to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My aunt and a friend were there. I saw the friend and thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. While keeping both eyes on her I reached in the refrigerator for the bread and jelly. I moved to the counter still watching her and got the peanut butter. I spread the peanut butter on the bread and opened the other jar as my aunt asked, “What are you doing?” I said, as I looked at my preparations, “I’m making me a peanut butter and – uh – mustard sandwich.” I tried to convince them that I ate these all the time as I left the kitchen with it. I don’t think either one believed me. I have to this day NEVER eaten another one.

  3. My gramma made mustard sauce with squash in it. It’s milder than regular mustard because it’s diluted by the squash & you can use it right out of the jar on meat or sandwiches. I don’t think I have a written recipe, but she would put cooked squash thru the grinder & add ground mustard seed, paprika, turmeric, salt, & vinegar. If it’s too thick, add some of the squash water. I add garlic & hot pepper to mine. It also makes a great salad dressing if you add some olive oil. Also handy for making devilled eggs or potato salad. I remember her reacting to French’s Mustard the way someone now would react to Siracha – just too much!!

  4. Tipper, my husband eats mustard with his french fries too. My family has always used a big spoonful of mustard to get rid of heartburn. I love squash but I’ve never heard of making mustard with it so if anyone does I’d like to know how it turns out.

  5. I love mustard but not on fries. I like a mixture of hot sauce and ketchup on fries. My wife puts mayo on her fries, ugh.

  6. I also have never heard of homemade mustard as we are not real big mustard eaters here at home. I do put a little in deviled eggs and potato salad and just a tad on hotdogs. I am interested though in how you can make it because I’m sure it’s probably much better than the store bought.

  7. I don’t care for mustard but this recipe (from Valerie’s comment) sounds like I would really like it. I must try this with a spicy sausage, maybe chorizo.

  8. Don’t know anyone that makes their own mustard, but I looked at the contents on the mustard bottle. It names all ingredients except what all the spices are. I believe it gets it color from the turmeric.

    My mother-in-law said she made ketchup one time when she was a girl, and by the time it was boiled down to the right thickness it was a waste of time and tomatoes.

    1. Oh my, homemade ketchup is the best!!! make some every year out of the leftover/end of season tomatoes. Use it a lot in my homemade bbq sauce. I think its worth the effort & you KNOW whats in it! My Amish friends make something called 7 day ketchup – didn’t quite get all the instructions, but must involve fermenting the tomatoes in crocks for 7 day. I am going to try to pin them down on the method this year – they are where I buy my canning tomatoes.
      Hope you’re having a great day Awgriff!

  9. Without resorting to google I would guess that yellow mustard has ground mustard seed, vinegar and turmeric in it.

    You might think it’s weird but I like mustard straight from the jar. With a spoon! It’s good smeared on cornbread too! Especially if you can peel off the bottom crust, smear on the mustard then roll it up! Like little taquitos.

    Now I’ll go to google!

  10. When I see a job poorly done, I say “it doesn’t cut the mustard.” Mustard made with butternut squash does sound appealing to me. I’m just not a big enough fan of the yellow stuff to bother making my own… y’all enjoy and I’ll watch… lol. At less than a buck for 3 to 6 months worth of mustard (possibly longer) it’s not an issue for me- yet. Butternut squash is the hardest squash I ever dealt with…y’all have at it and looking ain’t crowded…

  11. Thank you to the readers who are finding and sharing mustard recipes!! I love tangy mustard, and it really adds the zing I am looking for in some recipes. I have always thought of mustard as a German thing, and they do use it a lot, but America actually uses the most mustard in the world. I was surprised to learn that! Thinking about mustard this morning is putting me in the mood to make homemade potato salad. I make mine with mustard and vinegar. I hope everyone is having a great day!

    Donna. : )

  12. I’m guessing the squash is just a mostly-neutral flavored thickened to give the mustard ‘body’. And of course the color is complementary to the yellow mustard powder (in the recipe from New Zealand).

    I expect just about any homemade is better than store-bought for two major reasons; fresh ingredients and more care. I do think commercial mustard uses a particular kind of mustard seed and that it is a different kind that the; for example, Florida Broadleaf garden mustard for greens. Why, or even whether, that makes a significant difference I couldn’t say. Where, I wonder, does one find “yellow mustard powder”?

    We are so deeply embedded into mass production. It gets downright embarrassing sometimes to realize just how much.

    1. Actually about a month ago I saw “Coleman’s” Mustard (powder) at the grocery. Interestingly, it was on the BBQ sauce, hot sauce isle/area of the store, instead of the spice isle. Anyway, it’s mustard powder. Its in a mustard colored small tin container. ~~~~~

    2. I can buy powdered mustard at most stores here in Florida in the spice isle. If not available to you, I also buy bulk mustard seeds that can be ground in mortar and pestle.

    3. I have ground mustard in my spice rack. It came from Ingles Supermarket, I think, but all of the stores here have it. Mine is McCormick brand but they have store brands too. It is yellow but not the bright yellow that prepared mustard is. I also have and use whole mustard seed. It allows you to add the mustard flavor to such things as potato and chicken salad without the extra vinegar taste.

  13. I have made fermented mustard using both brown and yellow mustard seeds. I never would have thought about using squash, sounds interesting.

  14. Ask and ye shall receive. Thank you everyone for bringing up this topic. I had wondered about that recipe too. You know I never met anyone else who put mustard on french fries like I do-glad to meet you, Tipper.

    Chow chows and relishes were the toppings of choice in my family. My folks would chop up the “caps” of vegetables so nothing went to waste and then mix it with vinegar and sugar.

  15. I’ve not heard of making mustard from squash. But I’m in the Deer Hunter camp, I’ll eat mustard on all sorts of foods, love it. I enjoy that tangy mustard taste in a lot of different foods. I hope you find the recipe she’s wanting. Love the blog Tipper!

  16. Funny you should mention homemade mustard. There is another you tube channel by the name of 1870 Homestead and just the other day I watched a session that she made mustard. It was more like ‘ground’ mustard but I am sure you could adjust it to be more yellow than a ‘dijon’ type, but I am not sure how. This is as much a ‘thinker’ as some of the riddles you have tested us with, but I am sure we readers will ponder the question and ask other for an answer. Take care and stay well.

  17. Oh, wow! I have often thought about homemade mustard. I have made homemade ketchup, bbq sauce and Mayo – but always wondered how to make mustard. I thought you would need mustard seeds. Squash? That would be easier than seeds I think. I am definitely hoping someone has an answer and recipe for this!

    Donna. : )

  18. I have never heard of homemade mustard, but I do love mustard on lots of things. If I had a recipe for making my own, I’d sure give it a try. It’s interesting that it is made from squash, maybe because it’s yellow? I look forward to the comments on this and see if anyone knows how to make it. I’d sure give it a try!

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