Mustard

Mustard Overview

Mustard is an oilseed crop and is one of the world’s most important spice crops. The original use was likely not for its own flavour, but to hide the flavour of some foods. Many different cultures use mustard in their cuisine.

More than 317,000 tonnes (700 million pounds) of mustard are consumed around the world every year

Mustard is used in food preparation and the oil from the mustard can be used for biodiesel and other industrial products. More than 317,000 tonnes (700 million pounds) of mustard are consumed around the world every year.

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Saskatchewan producers are the world’s largest mustard exporters.

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Canola, flax, mustard, camelina, and sunflowers are all oilseed crops that grow in Saskatchewan.

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There are three types of mustard: yellow, brown, and oriental mustard.

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Brown Mustard

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Brown Mustard

Brown mustard seeds tend to be more pungent and are mixed with yellow seeds to create different varieties of mustard.

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Yellow Mustard

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Yellow Mustard

Yellow mustard seeds are the most common and the mildest in flavour.

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Oriental Mustard

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Oriental Mustard

Oriental mustard oil is used as a spicy cooking oil in some Asian countries, but is not consumed as an oil in North America.

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Industry Overview

Mustard farmers in Saskatchewan planted 70,000 hectares (172,000 acres) of mustard in 2020.

Once harvested, mustard may be transported to an elevator where it is stored, cleaned, and shipped. Some mustard is transported to a processing facility where it is prepared for human consumption. It can be processed into mustard flour, cooking oil, mustard, spices, salad dressings, mayonnaise, mustard, and prepared meat. These products are packaged and then transported to grocery stores for people to buy and enjoy in their cooking!

An illustrated mustard crop is shown with yellow blooming flowers.

Mustard can be made into a wide variety of foods that people enjoy eating around the world!

Mustard is also exported to other countries. Countries that import mustard from Canada include Belgium, Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Poland, and many others! The grain is taken from elevators on trains and put onto ships to transport to these international countries. Saskatchewan is the world’s largest exporter in mustard seed, producing 90% of Canada’s mustard crops!

A simple, illustrated map of the world is shown with a boat transporting goods between countries.

Canada trades with countries around the world to import and export products such as mustard seed. Saskatchewan is the world’s largest exporter of mustard seed!

History of Mustard

From the beginning of human civilization, many cultures have used mustard including people from India, Egypt, and China.

Mustard was first grown in Western Canada in Alberta in 1936.

Forty hectares of mustard was grown in Southern Alberta in 1936 and that was the first time mustard was grown in Western Canada. During this time, California and Montana grew the most mustard, but Canadian production grew due to better production methods and quality.

These are various types of mustards in jars.

Growing Mustard

Mustard is an oilseed with both a tap root and fibrous roots. The mustard plant will start to grow at low temperatures, which is great for growing in Saskatchewan. Mustard grows well in dark brown and black soil zones in the Prairies.

It is best to plant mustard early in the spring (before May 6) to allow the plant to mature before the weather gets hot. If the crop is planted later in the spring (last week in May), the plant will produce less seeds.

The mustard plant can be planted in low temperatures in early spring in Saskatchewan.

Fields are planted with seeds and fertilizer. Next, fields are sprayed with pesticides to control insects, weeds, and diseases. The yellow flower of the plant produces small seeds that are found in pods.

Mustard plants form pods that will fill with seeds.

When it is time to harvest, farmers can swath the crop into rows for the combine to pick up, or they can straight cut the field using a straight cut header on a combine. This is usually determined by the evenness of the field.

Mustard is an oilseed with both a tap root and fibrous roots.

It is impossible for the combines to get every single seed and seeds that land on the ground often grow in the following years. These are called ‘volunteer’ plants and are basically weeds because they are growing where they aren’t wanted.

A train is stopped in a small town next to a train station and two elevators.

PHOTO CREDIT: FARM AND FOOD CARE SASKATCHEWAN

These farmers are checking this mustard crop to see if it’s ready to harvest yet.

Canola and mustard are so similar that it is difficult to get rid of ‘volunteer canola’ in a mustard field and vice-versa. Farmers usually only grow one or the other but much more canola is grown than mustard.

Mustard Nutrition

Mustard is an oil seed, which makes it high in fat and protein. Mustard is full of essential minerals. The mustard seed is about 25% protein and is a good source of the omega-3 fatty acids that may help decrease the risk of heart disease.