Getting an Early Start

We always tell ourselves that October is the time to start planting stuff. Accordingly, we put off doing anything about the garden until Labour weekend, by which time life is getting busy again, and so we put it off further.

In other words, we procrastinate, and nothing gets done. We've managed to keep a few pumpkins and potatoes going in the past, and our little crops of tomatoes on the doorstep have been OK, and the herbs - which are just glorified weeds, let's not forget - seem to thrive despite being neglected for weeks at a time.

But in terms of really having a proper vege garden that will yield a significant harvest, in the past we simply haven't done the work to make it happen.

Last weekend, that all changed.
We took a drive to the hardware store and the garden centre, then came home and cleared out one overgrown corner of our little front yard to put our planter down.
After getting it relatively level, we spread a layer of ash, in what may have been a misguided attempt to keep the weeds down.
Then we put down some plastic sheeting, punctured to permit some drainage, and assembled the 4'x4' planter box over top of it.

Now, I'm not saying that you should follow our lead here. We may have done ourselves all sorts of damage, like not permitting the soil to breathe and wotnot, but our main concern was for the weeds. The weeds up the back are the bane of my potato patch, and I don't want them invading this plot too.
Next, we got in some awfully cheap labour to do the grunt work.
Potting mix, about 8 bags, including a bag of strawberry mix, turn this from a wooden square into a miniature garden.
Then we got to planting: Strawberries, Lettuces, Beans, Peas, Tomatoes, Silverbeet, Cauliflower and Broccoli, several of each.
Into the potting mix, with a nice dousing of water and plenty of sunshine.
Finally, a bit of mesh to keep the local wildlife out - particularly our cat (I'd post a picture of said feline but I'm sorry, this just isn't that kind of blog). The mesh is attached to pieces of wire which are stapled into the timber, allowing access to the garden to weed and prune and harvest.

Since it's still winter and there may yet be frost, we also rigged a sheet of clear plastic which will double as a frost cover overnight and as a mini glasshouse of sorts on cooler days.

So there it is, August and we have our vege garden planted out. And the best thing is that a week later, the seedlings are not only alive but actually getting bigger. I hold out great hopes.
So after a big day's work like that (I could be honest and say that it was spread over 2 days, but that would completely dissolve the mystique surrounding our achievements), the hard workers deserve a cold, relaxing brew.
And sausages. There must be lovely lamb sausages.
Which are then made into burgers. What a perfect way to end the day.

(In case you're curious, Sausage Burgers contain sausage, lettuce, beetroot, cheese, sour cream, and sauce. Just like your mum used to make them. )

Lamb Leg Steak Burgers

I have been remiss in my duties, those duties being making people's tummies grumble and mouths water, even right after they've had lunch. I know, it's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

So without further ado I will complete my 4-part photo series on mouthwatering burgers, this time with the delicious...
Lamb Leg Steak Burger
First off, get to your local market and pick up some of the best free-range lamb you can find. If you're in my area, that means getting to the Hutt Riverbank Carpark Market on a Saturday morning or the one in Wellington on Sunday, and making a beeline to the Wai-Ora Lamb van.

Its important to have really good lamb steak that will cook perfectly, because tough meat won't come apart nicely in your mouth when you bite your burger.
Fry up that lamb in hot olive oil with freshly ground pepper and salt and bit of minced garlic. Meanwhile, layer up your homemade buns with a bit of salad and the essential sour cream on the lid.
Put it all together with a slice of cheese, and enjoy. And that concludes the summer series of burgers, I'm afraid. Of course, there's still the Great Curry Odyssey to follow, which will be covered this week too. And tonight we had our first stew, because it feels like winter's closing in fast (last day of daylight savings here today - *sigh*), so there's lots of hearty winter fare to look forward to too, as well as photos from our holiday!

(Yes, I know, you all want to see my holiday snaps from the sunny Coromandel, don't you? Well, you're going to!)

There's Something Fishy in my Burger

Anyone for a nip?

I got my woolly hat out of the drawer before I left the house this morning. I got my warm coat out of the wardrobe before going outside tonight to sort out the rubbish and the recycling. While I did this, Dessert Chef was lighting the fire. Then we put fresh sheets on the bed, after we replaced the electric blanket that has been off since about November.

So there's definitely enough nip to go around.

Yes, the southerly blast that's wrapping up the country has reminded us what living in Wellington in the winter is all about, and it's only March.

So as we wave goodbye to Summer and look forward to Autumn, the best I can do is look back at all that yummy summery food that I haven't quite got as far as posting yet, and sigh.

In the third installment of my four-part Burgers What I've Made series (didn't realise it was a series? Nor did I until just now), may I present in picture form (because who really needs a recipe for making burgers?) Fish Burger with Sliced Avocado and Capsicum:

The other Burgers in this esteemed collection:
Bacon and Egg
Ultimate Beef

Still to come:
Lamb Steak Burgers

(Is your mouth already watering?)

Ultimate Home-Made Beef Burgers

Things seem to have been a bit slow around here lately, and if you suspected that was because I had been abducted by aliens, you'd be wrong. *Phew!*

I've had my hands pretty full over the past few weeks, particularly with prepping and shooting another two days of The Winding City (which I've previously posted about here). We shot over the last two Sundays, and that doesn't leave much time on the weekend for the important stuff like hanging out with the family or posting to my blog.

I've also been making more of an effort to spend time writing fiction, which has meant that I haven't been allocating so much time to Freshly Ground. But the camera keeps coming out in both our kitchen and in the kitchens of unsuspecting friends and relatives. I have PILES of photos and recipes to get through, so hang in there.

We're also going to be away for a couple of weeks very soon, but I'll future-post a few items to cover that time, just for you.

Moving right along, we often have the discussion that it's just not worth buying takeout burgers because even the Big Guys (Like BK, McDs, and even Burger Fuel) can't make as good a burger as the ones we make at home. Then we sometimes have the discussion that even though we make great burgers at home, occasionally we don't have three hours to bake bread and half an hour to make fresh meat patties, fry them and grill them. But when we do, Oh Boy!!

World's Best Homemade Burgers

Firstly, put on some bread dough, using the same failsafe recipe that I use for my pizza bases and loaves of bread (it looks like I might've added some dried herbs to these ones too). Shape these into buns about half the size of your fist, set to rise for an hour and bake at 200C for 18 minutes.
For the patties, mix up the following:
200g Beef Mince
Freshly Ground Salt and Pepper
1 Large Free Range Egg
1 T Worcester Sauce
1/2 t Paprika
1/2 t Dried Mixed Herbs
1 t Mustard Powder
2 T Potato Starch
(To make these Gluten Free, just leave out the Worcester Sauce)

Shape into patties using a couple of spoons drenched in flour, and lay on a floured plate until you're ready to start cooking (for Gluten Free, use a GF baking mix for this step).
Fry the patties for about 10 mins on each side in hot rice bran oil, with a chopped onion cooking around the sides of the pan.

Place a slice of cheese on top of each patty for the last 8 mins of cooking, to melt.
Slice the buns, butter and dress with mayonnaise, sauce, relish, sour cream, aioli, or whatever you prefer, and layer in lettuce, tomato slices, a beef patty, cucumber slices, and beetroot. And when you're done with that lot, ask yourself why you would ever want a Big Mac again.

First of the Summer Burgers

Spring is an awfully two-faced creature. Yesterday we were basking in the sun, discussing how it actually felt hot outside, and today the country is battening down the hatches as gale force winds close Wellington airport and rip rooves off houses. Oh, and it's raining and cold. The fire is burning at home, while here at work the yard is a hazardous place to be without a hardhat. I would love to point out how this must be a sign of climate change, but I've lived in Wellington for 20 years now. Nothing about this change of heart surprises me. I just feel sorry for the lighting guy that I know is out in this soup up a 45' boom lifter wrapped up in a tarp and desperately needing to pee, waiting for the First AD to call lunch. Chin up, Saxon, this is the glamour of the film industry.
Anyway, we're willing to take any hint of spring as an excuse to get back into summery food. Dessert Chef made fresh bread rolls using our standard pizza dough recipe, rising them in Texas muffin tins so they kept their shape, and we had Bacon and Egg burgers to welcome burger season to our house for the year.
I'm sure I don't need to pretend this is a recipe. Fry the bacon. Fry the eggs until the the whites are set and the yolks are still running. Dress with garlic aioli and pile on top of shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, beetroot, cucumber, pineapple and cheese.
Welcome back to summer! (Let's keep up the illusion, anyway, shall we?)