Today we went on a field trip to tour the local mustard factory. Barhyte Specialty Foods very graciously let us get a peek at how mustards and sauces are developed, made in large batches and bottled.

First we browsed the store. They have many of their items for sale plus specialty foods from other local retailers. It’s arranged in a very pretty way.

This is where they mix the batches that are going to be bottled. We weren’t able to go into it today as they were making a Dijon mustard with horseradish which is very strong smelling. We could smell it standing outside the room.

(Note: You can click on the thumbnails to make them larger.)

The line is very interesting, first there is a person getting the bottles standing up and ready to go then they go to a sanitizing machine. Here are the jars being filled with mustard.

Then the jars move on to have the caps, labels and plastic seals put on. The seals are then heated to shrink them tight and the use by date is stamped on. Then they are boxed up, ready to ship. We were able to hold a bottle right off the line and it was still warm.

Then we were able to go to the development kitchen and talk to the lady that develops new recipes. She showed us what yellow and brown mustard looks like. Here is brown mustard seeds.

Here is what mustard looks like as it grows. It is considered a weed.

I like this one so I am adding it for fun.

We were told some great stories of how the business got started and how it has changed over the years. It was a great field trip!