Power Heroes Fermented Honey Mustard - 2025
IN SHORT…
Power Heroes stemmed for our desire to do a sauce for the kids. We considered various ideas over several weeks until one night Tim remembered tasting aam kasundi, a west Bengali fermented mustard flavored with green mangoes and chile peppers. We took this idea and ran with it, toning down the heat and the fermentative funk with sourwood honey and a touch of citrus. The result is unique yet approachable mustard that we hope you and your kids will enjoy.
Food Pairings: naturally, this serves as the ultimate dipping sauce for chicken tenders and soft pretzels. However, the complex tang of the fermentation also makes it a sophisticated companion for a sharp cheddar or a classic ham sandwich
This sauce was low-temperature pasteurized and preserved with potassium sorbate (to prevent re-fermentation or the growth of mold) calcium disodium EDTA (to maintain color and inhibit rancidity) and ascorbic acid (to prevent oxidation). While it is sound enough to stay at room temperature for a few days, because of of its high sugar content, we would strongly recommend keeping it in the refrigerator.
Common Allergens: Onion/Garlic
This sauce is vegetarian, though not vegan as it contains a generous amount of honey.
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Spring Water, Mustard Seeds (Yellow, Brown, Black), Apple Cider Vinegar, Sourwood Honey, Chardonnay Vinegar, Green Mangoes, Escamillo Peppers, Salt, Shallots, Ginger, Garlic, Hot Peppers (Aji Bodysnatcher, Aji Lemon Drop), Coconut Aminos, Fenugreek, Lemon Peel, Ascorbic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sumac, Coriander, Nigella Seeds, Turmeric, Hyssop, Fennel Seeds, Citric Acid, Black Pepper, Calcium Disodium EDTA
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Of course the most important ingredient in any mustard is mustard seeds and we used all three varieties: yellow, brown and black. Our yellow mustard seeds came from the always reliable McCormick and were likely sourced from Canada. The brown ones came from Unpretentious Baker and were also probably sourced from Canada. Finally, the truly spicy black mustard seeds we used came from Dwaraka Organic and were grown in India.
This being a honey mustard, the second most important ingredient was the honey, and we chose a truly special and unique honey made from bees who feed on sourwood tree blossoms grown on Hungry Hill Farm in Shipman, Virginia, just north of Jack and Blair’s home.
The apple cider vinegar came from Bragg and the Chardonnay vinegar from Cellers Avgvstvs Forvm in Spain. We grew nearly all of the peppers that went into this sauce in Tim’s patio garden, and the hyssop was planted and overseen by Jack and Blair. Despite a notably cold winter, as of January 2026 this plant is miraculously still alive.
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Power Heroes began with soaking mustard seeds - some of them toasted, some of them ground, some left as is - for several hours in spring water to rehydrate them. While they soaked we chopped the green mangoes, peppers, shallots, garlic, lemon and spices and wrapped them in cheesecloth. We then combined the mustard seeds and the aromatics in a vacuum sealed bag and left it to slowly ferment at a cool 56°F for about three months. We followed this procedure for each of the five batches we made.
In mid-December we strained each ferment - we found the brine to be excessively funky and slightly bitter - combined them, blended them, and added back some, but not all, of the aromatics. We then added the vinegars, honey, more spices and a touch of citric acid. We let everything age in the Hot Sauce Kitchen Refrigerator for two or three weeks prior to low temperature pasteurization (156.5°F for seventy minutes) and bottling in early January. -
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