Six Seasons: Yongar Burgers
- Words by Peppermint
The calendar of the South West’s Nyoongar people includes six annual seasons – Birak, Bunuru, Djeran, Makuru, Djilba and Kambarang – which all reflect the changes in the natural world that come with the passing of time. Each is traditionally used as a guide to what to harvest and where to move across the land.
We’ve teamed up with our friends at Fremantle’s Lighthouse Baking to bring you six recipes that each fit with a Nyoongar season – helping you observe all six seasons with something delicious and truly timely. Second in the series is the Djilba season – the ‘grassy season’ or season of conception – which hits in August and September. This is a transitional time, with cold, fresh days combining with warmer, rainy and windy days. Flowers start to explode across the horizon at this time of year, and traditionally the main food sources include land-based grazing animals such as the Yongar (kangaroo), the Waitj (emu) and the Koomal (possum). With kangaroo meat forming a staple, sustainable part of the Indigenous diet, here’s a recipe that reflects that – kangaroo burgers in a simple, DIY homemade bun – enjoy!
The burger bun
Ingredients
1x sachet (600g) Lighthouse Crusty White Vienna Bread Mix
350mL lukewarm water
1x sachet (6g) yeast (included in bread mix)
1 (50g) large egg, lightly beaten
Method
Place bread mix and yeast in a large bowl. Add lukewarm water and mix with a fork to form a dough, then mix further with hands to bring dough together.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes (applying extra flour to prevent the dough sticking) until the dough is soft and elastic.
Place dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean, damp cloth then leave in a warm place until dough doubles in volume (approx. 45 mins).
Alternatively, the dough can be made using the bread and pizza dough setting on your bread machine. Follow the instructions on your bread machine manual to replace steps 1-3.
Preheat oven to 220°C conventional/200°C fan-forced.
Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead lightly for 1 minute. Divide dough into 12 equal sized pieces (approximately 50g). Roll the dough into rounds and place onto a lined baking tray, cover with a clean damp cloth and leave in a warm place until dough has doubled in sized (approximately 20 minutes). Alternatively place the dough on two trays to ensure the dough doesn’t join together during proofing.
Brush the surface of the dough with the lightly beaten egg; sprinkle the top with sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Place baking tray into the preheated oven.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Place onto wire rack and allow to cool.
The burgers
Ingredients
500g kangaroo mince
Half onion, grated
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried oregano
6 sliced pickles
4 slices of cheddar cheese
2 tbsp aioli
4 beetroot leaves
1 sliced beetroot
Spicy fruit chutney
Method
Squeeze any excess juices from the onion and mix the onion with the meat, cumin, oregano, sea salt and pepper. Form into four round burgers, using egg rings to help with the shape.
Pan-fry or grill for four minutes on one side. Turn and finish the cooking until done to your liking, but it’s best served medium-rare.
Toast the buns lightly, and spread each half with spicy fruit chutney and/or aioli.
Top the base bun with beetroot leaf, kangaroo patty, cheese, pickles and beetroot slices. Top with the remaining half of the bun and serve hot.
BETTER TOGETHER IS A COLLECTION OF PEPPERMINT PARTNERSHIPS WHERE WE TEAM UP WITH BRANDS WE LOVE TO BRING YOU INSPIRATIONAL STORIES. SIX SEASONS HAS BEEN CREATED AS A COLLABORATION WITH OUR FRIENDS AT LIGHTHOUSE.
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Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
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🌻 The Paddington 🌻
This is a much-loved staple, created for Issue 50 in 2021. We love seeing the #PeppermintPaddingtonTop continually popping up in our feeds!
How stunning is our model Elon MelaninGoddessEfon – she told us it was one of the first times she had been asked to come to a shoot with her natural hair. 🌻
We worked with South African patternmaker Sarah Steenkamp of @FrenchNavyNow_ to create this wardrobe essential – the perfect puff-sleeve blouse. Raglan sleeves make it the ultimate beginner sew, plus the gorgeous back buttons let you add your own personal twist.
Pattern via the link in bio! 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Fabric: @Spoonflower
Model: MelaninGoddessEfon
“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
Images: @Gather_Fiber @NeedleAndSkein @a2ina2 @KyraGiggles Sandi.204 @WhatTracyMakes AllieKnitsAway Auntabwi2
#MeltTheIce #Craftivism #Knitting #CraftForChange
TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
ICC, Darling Harbour
Photos: @Samsette
#LifeInstyle #SustainableShopping #SustainableShop #RetailTradeEvent
Calling all sewists! 📞
Have you made the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress yet? Call *1800 I NEED THIS NOW to get making!
This gorgeous green number was modelled (and made) by the fabulous Lisa of @Tricky.Pockets 🙌🏼
If you need a nudge, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint sewists a huge 🌟 30% off ALL A0 printing 🌟 when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern – how generous is that?!
Head to the link in bio now 📞
*Not a real number in case that wasn`t clear 😂
#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
