Grandma Spencer, the Goose and You: Local Mustards to Try This Winter

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Grandpa Spencer's Mustard at the Best of Missouri Markets.

Photography by Pat Eby

Grandpa Spencer's Mustards: Three Varieties

Fields Foods carries all three Grandpa Spencer’s mustards: Original, Horseradish and Hot and Spicy.

Photography by Pat Eby

Charlie Spencer Mustards: Charlie and Mona Adams

Charlie and Mona Adams selling Grandpa Spencer’s Mustard at the Best of Missouri Markets in 2013.

Photography by Pat Eby

A display of the original Goose Poop relish at the couple’s stand in Soulard Market.

Photography by Pat Eby

Sarah Nodine, center, and Will Wulff, far back center, at the Best of Missouri Market in 2014. This husband-and wife-team successfully marketed a family recipe for a sweet and spicy relish, Goose Poop.

Photography by Pat Eby

The newest addition to the Gringo Goose line of quality products, Duck Butter, a smooth and creamy mustard.

Photography by Pat Eby

The Gringo Goose humor comes through in t-shirts, hats and more sold at the Soulard stand and on their website, like this "So Flocking Good" hat.

Photography by Pat Eby

Two specialty mustards at the Soulard Spice Shop, one a garam masala, the other a pumpkin honey, prove that just bout anything can be incorporated into mustard.

Photography by Pat Eby

Mustard seeds and more wait to be transformed into mustards at the Soulard Spice Shop, located in a permanent space at the center of the market.

Photography by Pat Eby

One of the walls of spices at the Spice Shop.

Photography by Pat Eby

At the Soulard Spice Shop, there are plenty of spices to perk up any mustard recipe you’d care to create.

Photography by Pat Eby

A special private label honey mustard dipping sauce made for the Soulard Spice Shop.

Photography by Pat Eby

Written by Pat Eby

Whether you’re seeking a new mustard to complement your New Year’s ham, or just a great condiment to send your brown-bag lunches to the next level, St. Louis has plenty of good options. Stop by local farmers markets to sample two great family recipes. Or make one of your own, with fresh mustard seed from the spice shop at the Soulard Farmers Market.

Grandpa Spencer’s Mustards

In 1935, Adora Spencer mixed up a creamy sweet and hot mustard her husband loved so much the grandchildren called it “Grandpa Spencer’s mustard.”

Today, Grandpa Harry Spencer grins out from the labels of his namesake mustards, his yachting cap set at a rakish angle. The photo, taken in 1939 by his son Lincoln at Michigan’s White Lake, brings history to the table with a treasured family recipe gone commercial.

The Spencers’ grandson Charlie Adams and his wife Mona introduced the mustard to the public in 2010, selling the first jars of Grandpa Spencer's Mustard at the St. Charles farmers market. Four years later, they added two new recipes, a horseradish mustard and one that’s hot and spicy.

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You’ll find the Adams and all three mustards at the Lake Saint Louis winter farmers markets. Look for a list of local grocers that carry their product at their website or order all three online.

mustardsplus.com (click on the sitemap to find retail locations); 636.922.1004

Duck Butter, From the Folks Behind Goose Poop

Sarah Nodine was just 16 when she learned to make the family’s signature sweet and slightly spicy relish. Her dad, nicknamed “Goose” for his love of Grey Goose martinis, shared the treasured recipe. Years later, Nodine and her husband Will Wulff would successfully market the family favorite, which they named Goose Poop in his honor. Soon after, they added a spicier version of Goose Poop to their product line-up.

In 2014, Nodine and Wulff’s company, the Gringo Goose, brought a new product to their Soulard market stand, a mustard so creamy and smooth they named it Duck Butter.

“It’s a mustard,” Nodine says, “but the creaminess from the eggs and the milk in the recipe makes it so buttery we’ve had customers use it on baked potatoes. It’s good in deviled eggs, and on sandwiches, of course. We’ve served it with prime rib in place of the traditional sour cream, mayo and horseradish dip with great success, and far fewer calories.”

From March through January, you’ll find Duck Butter at the couple’s Soulard Market stand. The products are also available at local retailers and through their website, which also sells t-shirts, hats and more.

gringogoose.com; contact the company by email at goose@gringogoose.com

Make Your Own, via the Soulard Spice Shop

If you want to try your hand at creating a special family mustard for New Year’s, stop by the Soulard Farmers Market and visit the spice shop. You’ll find mustard seeds and mustard powder plus a variety of herbs, spices and more to kick up the flavor of your special creation.

It’s easy, too. Here’s a basic recipe, inspired by Emeril Lagasse but tweaked to our own specifications:

Super-Simple Mustard

Yield: about 3/4 cup mustard

6 tablespoons mustard seeds

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup white vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place mustard seeds in a non-reactive container and mix with water and vinegar.

2. Cover and refrigerate overnight (8 hours) to soften the seeds.

3. Scrape the mixture into the bowl of a food processor and blend until you reach the desired consistency. Add water if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Store, covered, in the refrigerator, up to 4 weeks.

Changing up this basic recipe isn’t hard at all.

• Vary the mustard seeds. They’re available in black, brown and yellow, with black the most pungent and yellow the mildest. Mix and match seeds.

• Or change up the liquids. Water, wine, beer, different vinegars or cider all work to hydrate the seeds.

• Try new herbs and spices. Add chopped fresh herbs, dried herbs, allspice, cloves, different kinds of pepper, hot pepper flakes – the sky’s the limit.

• Add additional ingredients. Onions, shallots, garlic, scallions. Ginger, horseradish, parsnips, celery. Apples, pomegranate seeds, berries and nuts.

Have fun. Make a memory. Celebrate the holiday. Who knows where your new family recipe will take you!

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