Mustard Seed
Mustard is another herb that has been used for 1000s of years, in many different cultures. The greens are used in stir fry recipes as well as in adventurous salads. But the part of the plant we are focusing on is the seeds. Mustard seeds come in three main varieties; Black, Brown, and White. Of course when you hear the word mustard, what do you think of? I know i think of those construction site yellow football shaped squeezable bottles that excrete a similarly colored semi-paste that compliments your Sunday afternoon grilled hot dogs perfectly, especially when paired with a frosty brew of your choice. Personally i prefer the darker things in life, so it would be brown mustard on a brat, along with a nice heavy stout or bock. But there is more to mustard than the obnoxiously colored squirt bottles we grew up loving.
The mustard seed is famously tiny. In fact Buddha, Nahmindes, Allah, and Jesus all made references to this effect. The seed is small, but the plant gets fairly large compared to others in its family. Such as radishes, cabbage and turnips. As small as the mustard seed is, it has a laundry list of medicinal uses including; diuretic, emetic, anti-inflammatory, an aide to blood circulation, and as a frostbite preventative. It's oils can be harvested for use in culinary applications, such as pickling, frying, marinades and even for off the wall stuff like bio-diesel. In fact this plant is so useful the ancient Greeks actually hailed it as the best herb ever!
All in all i would say the versatility of this plant is limited only by ones imagination. There seem to be a nearly limitless amount of possibilities, should this ingredient be chosen, God only knows what will happen in the kitchen!
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hanz
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