Mountain Mustard

What to do with an overabundance of Hungarian Wax Peppers or Banana Peppers?

Make Mountain Mustard!

The description for what is called Hot Pepper Mustard on allrecipes.com (but known as Mountain Mustard here in Potter County), says it's "A sweet and tangy pepper mustard that is delicious on hot dogs, pretzels and lots more.  A great way to use up an abundance of hot banana-type peppers grown in the garden."  

Mountain Mustard

adapted from Allrecipes.com

40 banana peppers (5 inches long), stems removed

4 cups yellow prepared mustard

5 cups white sugar

1 cup honey

4 cups apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup water

Remove the seeds from the banana peppers and place the peppers in a blender or food processor.  Process until smooth.  Pour into a large pot and stir in the mustard, sugar, honey, apple cider vinegar and salt.  Bring to a boil, so that it's boiling so hard it cannot be stirred down. 

 I found that you'll want to use an extra large pot because it foams up a lot and mine boiled over a bit.  The smell of this cooking really clears your sinuses!  

Stir together the flour and water until smooth.  Pour into the boiling mixture.  

This is where I adapted the recipe because friends who made this told me that if you follow the recipe on this you'll end up with chunky bits of flour in your mustard.  I put the flour and water in the food processor and mixed it (it formed a paste).  Then I added about four or five ladles of the hot mustard mixture to the flour paste -  mixing after each addition of hot mustard.  I then added the hot, thinned-out flour and mustard mixture from the food processor to the to the pot of hot mustard sauce and stirred hard.  

Continue to boil, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.  Pour into sterile pint jars and seal with new lids and rings.  Process in a boiling water bath for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your altitude (I usually go for the longer time and err on the side of safety).

This mustard tasted yummy on spread on the tortillas of last night's sausage fajitas.  It's a little bit sweet, but tangy too!  I like to experiment, and I think that next time I make it I'll replace some of the hot peppers with jalapenos or some other really hot pepper for a spicy version. 

Won't this make some great Christmas gifts!?!

P.S.  Don't forget to hop over to the Homestead Revival Barn Hop!