Having been commissioned to write an article on Wild Spices for US magazine Backwoods Home, I’ve been experimenting with scented and flavourful seeds of late summer and early autumn.
Jack by the Hedge, or Garlic Mustard (Allaria petiolata) is an old friend of mine. Fans of earlier posts will know how much I love making a punchy pesto from the tender spring leaves.
This plant gives all year round…or well into the autumn, anyhow. In September, we can harvest the small black seeds from the long, dry seed pods. These are called ‘seliques‘ in botany.
The whole plant and seeds contain glucosinolates, the main one being sinigrin. These give cabbage family plants like Jack By The Hedge their mustardy taste. They have anti-inflammatory and possibly anti-cancer properties.
Look for a big patch of dried-out, dead adult Jack By The Hedge plants on a dry day. You’ll see the seliques at the top. They’ll be a tan or gold colour.
I shuck the seeds out of the pods into a bowl (if your’e doing a lot of this, you might want to wear gloves). I blow away the seed pods. So i’m left with a bowl of small black seeds. Try crunching one between your teeth – just one seed is very peppery!
I run them through a colander too to get rid of pieces of seed pod.
So now for the magical, alchemical and science bit!
Compounds in the Jack By The Hedge seeds react with water to create a stronger mustard flavour over time. So first I pound the seeds with a pestle and mortar. Inside, they are a yellow-brown colour. I then add water and count from 20 to 40 seconds. The longer I leave the seed reacting with the water, the stronger my mustard will be! For this mustard, I stopped the reaction at 30 seconds.
How, I hear you say (or I imagine I hear you say)?
Cider vinegar stops the reaction, so that’s when I add it to the seeds and water.
I also added a pinch of salt, 1/2 a tsp of turmeric and 1/2 tsp cumin. I love my Indian spices. That part is optional however, so if you prefer a simple mustard feel free to leave this out!
Some people like to add honey, molasses or sugar at this point, though I didn’t and it tasted great!
I get something that looks like this…a dark gold, coarse mustard.
I decided to put my Wild Jack Mustard in a Cauliflower Cheese bake with a gammon steak and side veg. Ruddy delicious…my son loved it 🙂
After that, I added it to every ham sandwich, egg dish, and quiche that I took on a picnic. Yum. My son then lost the rest of it at a festival in Aylesbury. Time to make some more!
WILD JACK MUSTARD Recipe
25g Jack By The Hedge seeds
25ml water
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin (optional)
1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)
- Crush the jack seeds with a pestle and mortar or a coffee grinder/mill.
- When the consistency is right, mix with the water in a bowl.
- Count 20 seconds for a mild mustard, 30 for a medium mustard or 40 for a reallly strong mustard.
- Add the cider vinegar to stop the mustard getting stronger.
- Add the other spices (if using) and the salt.
- Keep in a non reactive jar (glass/ceramic is good).
Have fun and enjoy your wild mustard, knowing that in the event of societial collapse and the apocalypse, you will always have condiments 😉
COURSES & PRODUCTS
My Autumn Foraging with Wild Tapas courses run this year on the 12th, 19th and 27th Sept.
My Fungi I.D. courses run throughout October on Sat 3rd, 10th, 24th and the 31st. Check my Field Courses link below for more details and to book (ignore the fact it says Spring, it means all year!):
https://hedgewitchadventures.com/h-a-spring-2026-courses/
My Autumn Wild Tapas E-book (Plus Winter and other E-books) can be found at my online shop below:
https://hedgewitchadventures.com/shop
xx Hedgewitch Kat xx