Get your mustard on: it's BBQ + picnic season

Mustard is a stellar condiment year-round, but there's something about picnics and BBQs that begs for that spicy, salty, vinegary taste. You can put it on anything (try dipping fresh strawberries in the beer mustard), but it adds such great texture and flavor to summer foods, whether on a burger or grilled zucchini or stirred into potato salad or deviled eggs. I love all my mustard children; the spicy, malty Beer Mustard, the tarragon and garlic-fresh Herb Mustard, and the wild child Umami Shiso Fine. You can find all three for sale at the Bedford Cheese Shop in Gramercy Park, Manhattan (67 Irving Pl, New York, NY) or in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (229 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY). I even just dropped off a super special small batch flavor: hot peach honey mustard! Not very sweet, yes spicy, and yes peachy with the mouth pleasing warmth of local honey -- right now, it's my favorite mustard.

If you live faraway or are a lazy local, mouth.com has them for sale online, plus they come in a super cool box (http://www.mouth.com/products/umami-shiso-mustard).

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Want to cook with mustard? These are some recipes I like:

Saveur's list of mustard recipes: http://www.saveur.com/article/Kitchen/One-Ingredient-Many-Ways-Mustard

Salmon with a whole grain mustard crust: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roast-salmon-with-whole-grain-mustard-crust

Celery root salad with red peppers & mustard: http://noteatingoutinny.com/2011/10/02/creamy-celery-root-salad-with-red-peppers-and-mustard/

Cathy made these for a picnic we had last summer and they were fantastic! Cast iron roast chicken salad with chicken fat aioli sandwiches: http://noteatingoutinny.com/2014/06/05/cast-iron-roasted-chicken-salad-with-chicken-fat-aioli-sandwiches/

Roasted Spiced Lamb Ribs With Whole Grain Mustard Sauce: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/12/roasted-spiced-lamb-ribs-whole-grain-mustard-sauce-recipe.html

Mustard roasted potatoes: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/11/mustard-roasted-potatoes/