Saturday, November 20, 2021

Canning mustard

Don ran out of mustard the other day.

He's a sandwich guy and goes through a fair bit of it. For that reason I usually buy it in bulk. However since neither of us wanted a big honkin' container of mustard taking up room in the fridge, I knew it was time to re-can it into smaller jars.

I started by dumping all the mustard in a big pot. Re-canning is best done with a hot pack, so I needed to heat it up.

And heating it up, I learned the hard way years ago, should be done in a double boiler so the bottom doesn't scorch. At first I put the pots on the cookstove, but it was too warm to keep the cookstove going and we let the fire die out.

So most of the heating was done on the propane stove.

While the mustard was heating, I washed and drained the plastic jugs. Don uses them in the shop to hold miscellaneous nuts and bolts.

I also held back two quarts of unprocessed mustard to just keep in the fridge. No sense canning what will get used up right away.

I kept the heat low and stirred the mustard every so often, bringing the warmer stuff up from the bottom.

When the mustard was hot enough, I ladled it into pint jars.

Just about ready to process.

Scalding the lids. It's nice to have all my canning supplies back within easy reach. For too long things had been scattered in distant locations.

Into the water bath. (Ignore the old labels on the lids from previous uses.) Mustard is high-acid, so it can be safely water-bath canned for 20 minutes at a rolling boil.

When they jars were processed, I removed them from the water. One vomited out quite a bit of mustard. Hey, not every canning project turns out Instagram-perfect. (Surprisingly, this jar actually sealed.)

I let the jars cool overnight before dating them and putting them in the pantry. Now Don has enough mustard at least for the next year or so.

13 comments:

  1. That much mustard would last me the rest of my life! Tommy could finish it off like Don.

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  2. Ahh...I love these posts. I also love how you think outside the box.

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  3. What a great idea, I didn't know it could be re-canned. how long will it keep after re-canning?

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    1. As long as it's properly processed and sealed, it will keep as long as any other food product (i.e., years). Don usually goes through this much mustard in about 18 months, but I just came across one remaining jar I'd canned up in 2012 and it's fine.

      - Patrice

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    2. Thank you. Boy that is a lot of mustard.

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  4. Why can a product that is easy to buy and keeps in the fridge for months?

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    1. Because now it's in smaller and more convenient packaging, and it gives us a year's supply without taking up room in the fridge. Besides, buying in bulk is always cheaper.

      - Patrice

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  5. I make Banana Pepper Mustard and can it, it's mustard with a bit of a kick .
    Dee

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  6. I read recently for foods which tend to overflow the jar like that, if you leave them sit in the canner for 5 minutes or so after they're finished processing, they won't spill over. Has anyone else heard of that or tried it?

    Last week while canning applesauce I left the jars sit for 5 minutes in the water bath canner after the processing time was done. None of them overflowed but perhaps they wouldn't have anyway? Can anyone else comment on the idea? Anyone else have first-hand experience?

    I love reading your canning posts, Patrice. I always come away inspired to put up just a little more food!

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    1. The five-minute trick actually works. Ironically that's exactly what I did -- waited five minutes -- which is probably why I only had ONE jar vomit, LOL.

      - Patrice

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    2. Okay, good to know! I'll start letting my jars sit in the canner for a while after they're done processing.
      That's another fun thing about putting food by - there's always more to learn!

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  7. I never thought about re-canning purchased condiments. Not only cheaper to buy, but there always seems to be so much waste left in those bottles, even if you do put them in the frig upside down. OTOH, we don't use nearly that much mustard or ketchup, or any condiment really. Maybe mayo, but that seems dicy to re-can?

    I did not know about leaving things in the canner 5 minutes before removing! Going to add that note in the Blue Book right now.

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  8. My mother used to use mustard as a dip for chips. It's pretty good that way.
    But the thing I like best about it is that it's made with tumeric which is anti-inflammatory. Tumeric is pretty expensive then you have to stop and think of how to incorporate it into foods you normally eat if you're like me. Mustard isn't hard at all to figure out how to use because it's a mainstay of American food culture.

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