Green Mountain Mustard: Don't be looking for any of that flavorless yellow stuff here.

Tomorrow is  National Mustard Day. And yes, I know, it seems like there's a holiday for every darn food on the planet (National Aqua Jellybean Day, anyone?) but this is one I can get behind. First, you must know that growing up in my family, yellow mustard in a squeeze bottle--well, it was referred to by a mildly profane name that I will not detail here. Ask me some other time. Over drinks. We always insisted on real mustard, friends, and lots of it. Which is probably why my produce bin may be bare from time to time, but there's always one shelf in my fridge overflowing with mustards. Now you know why recently, at the Fancy Food Show, I was so excited that Stacie had the same passion for sampling mustards that I did. However one far and away stood out, and that was Vermont's own Green Mountain Mustard. Despite full bellies, (what can we say, we had just come from the Vosges booth), we sucked down way too many samples. Because, frankly, we couldn't stop. By the time I got to the Deli Dirt Everything Bagel Mustard, complete with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and chopped onion (sorry Angelenos, but sunflower seeds are not part of a proper everything bagel),  this native New Yorker was in total condiment heaven. If you're ready to ditch the same-old stuff you're used to on sandwiches, you can hardly go wrong with anything Green Mountain Mustard makes. What started as a grassroots business at farmers markets has grown into quite the impressive gourmet company, complete with fun new packaging. And for good reason. If you're game, you might want to start with a mild flavor, like their award winning Clove Encounters Mustard The name refers to the 10 cloves of unbelievably tasty garlic in each 9-ounce jar. In other words, if you slather this on your hot dog, as well you should, make sure everyone else at the table does too.   If you like it spicy, I highly recommend the Atomic Rooster Sriracha Mustard, Sriracha being the new foodie black and all.  It hits a 4 out of 5 on their heat scale, but I didn't find it so hot that I was crying. Much. The Golden Grain Mustard with maple offers that perfect tangy-spicy-sweet blend that's good on everything from warm pretzels to a grilled cheese sandwich to a turkey sub, and would definitely be a fridge staple in my home. Oof, even writing about it is making me crave some. And hey, if you can't choose, go for one of the variety packs. I'd take one as a gift any time, just so you know. Just be sure to check the ingredients if you have food allergies in the family; some of the flavors contain eggs or dairy, which are noted. But it's nice to know that every ingredient is natural and recognizable, which is always a plus. Plus, it's all just so flavorful and delicious, it's awesome for dieters. Nice to remember that you can get a ton of flavor without having to succumb to sugar, carbs and fat. That is, if you stay away from the bright yellow squeeze bottles. You can find Green Mountain Mustard through their website, buymustard.com, or find a retailer near you--more likely if you're in the Northeast or a few Midwestern locations.  Also visit the blog for lots of mustard recipes and ideas. Mmmm.