Nimmitabel: A Work in Progress: Salami making with Mad, Hughie & Terry 24

Had a nice walk with Chris Mc in the morning - along the bike path to the end of the footbridge past St Kevins. And then drove up to Inglewood on Thursday afternoon - with a lot of pork and a bit of beef

I'd called the Inglewood butcher shop the other day, and asked about buying some pork fat, they said they didn't sell it, but did sell "pork sides" for smallgoods making

I bought some of that - it was a 3kg? (can't remember exactly how heavy) frozen pack - that I needed to defrost before tomorrow afternoon - took ages

I called Terry and told him that Madeleine and Hughie would arrive around lunchtime (at the earliest on) Friday. I also asked him if he could have a look at the jarrah wood that we were planning to use for the island benchtop.

He was coming into Inglewood on Friday morning, so I suggested that he stop in for a coffee and a look at the wood.

The rest of Thursday was pretty uneventful/can't really remember what I did....

Friday, and pottered around a bit, went and visited Denise for a chat, and then back to the house to have a coffee with Terry. Also showed him the jarrah. Given that the pieces weren't long enough - he didn't think it appropriate for the bench top - so Ludwig the cabinet maker will have to source the wood for us.

Madeleine and Hughie arrived close to 1pm, and we pretty much drove straight to Terry's for lunch - before the smallgoods making

We had a delicious spanakopita with a green salad, and I brought two bottles of wine, one to have with lunch, and the other for flavouring our smallgoods

Once we'd finished lunch it was down to business

Firstly cutting the fat off the meat, and putting in separate bowls

Then putting it through the mincer, measuring the right proportions of fat to meat, and adding in our flavourings ie salt pepper, garlic, red wine, chilli etc

We each had a large bowl - I was doing the salami mixture approx 3kg, and Madeleine did one type of fresh sausage approx 2kg, and Hughie another approx 2kg. Terry was working on his own on the island bench

And then it came time to put the mixtures into the sausage machine. Was a little bit tricky this time, as the skins tore a bit. We made the sausages first

And then I realised that we didn't bring anything to put them in.....

Terry lent us one plastic container, and then Madeleine and I drove back to Inglewood to get some more tupperware, and some plastic fruit bags from the supermarket.

By the time we got back, Terry and Hughie had pretty much done all of the salami - and they had run out of salami skins - so we had quite a bit of meat left over. (Ended up making some sausage rolls back in Melbourne, and froze the rest)

Anyway, we had another glass of wine each - finishing off my smallgoods ingredient wine, and left around 6pm

Didn't really feel like going to the pub, so Madeleine and I went to the takeaway, and got some dinner there - which we ate back at the house

Had a reasonably early night, as Madeleine had an 11am medical appointment on Saturday. Pity they couldn't stay longer

Anyway, they left around 8.30 or so, and I got stuck into the garden

Wanted to weed/tidy up the public garden beds out the front

Did the one on the left first

Before

After - yes there is a difference

It took me pretty much all day (from 10am or so) to do that side

Was a nice sunny day, so I was getting warm, but it cooled down after the sun went down, so I had a lovely hot bath

Did the right hand side on Sunday - and that took pretty much all day also

A number of people walked by and enquired about the house - so I chatted with them for a while. Was a good distraction from the weeding

And Shane came by also - he had made some initial blue outlines in the garden ie a round garden bed near the rotunda, proposed paths etc - but we had to discuss further

I also decided to stay another day - as the paths were very overgrown

Once again - first the left hand side