As the season turns from one of brights yellows, reds and oranges the colors fade towards shades of grays, browns, and purples. Even my yellow mums turned purple as the cold nights arrived. The autumn here was a beautiful one, with quite little rain making for vibrant colors. Sometimes the fall rains arrive very early and it seems like the dark season before the arrival of snow is a long time and even a bit dreary. When the rains arrive early even the trees seem to match the mood and turn into earthy brownish tones. In some ways the darkness can be a relief. No need to be effiecient for sixteen hours a day since even the finger prints on the glass seem to hide. Just let the darkness envelope the house and light the candles and lanterns outside.
But this fall we have been lucky with an abundance of sunny days. It is not until just recently that the rains have arrived and it won’t be long until the first real snow fall. The photo below is of the field behind our house full of the purplish red clover. This was taken in October, but since then the field is still green but the flowers have become dots of brown and black.
Even my favorite local coffee shop, Kahvila Ilo, has a fall-inspired salad on their menu. Marinated beetroot salad with fresh wild mushrooms from the forest.
The red beets and the roasted carrots that I had made earlier were a source of inspiration and so for dinner one night we had my take on the traditional Lindströminpihvi, which is basically a ground beef patty that has grated beetroot in it giving it a purplish hue. There are a couple of different stories of the origin of the patty but in both versions it comes from Sweden.
My version of the Lindström patty
1 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 red beet, finely grated
400 g/14 oz ground beef
1 egg
salt
pepper
1 dl/ 1/2 c bread crumbs ( I used fine rye crumbs that are available here but regular work just as well)
1/2 dl/ 1/2 c Greek yoghurt
Combine all of the above ingredients and form into small patties. Evenly space the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at 200 C/390 F.
Beetroot chips
Slice beetroots very finely and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with honey and olive oil and sprinkle with fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at 200 C/390 F. Our family went through two pans. The bag of beetroot that I had bought at the grocery happened to have very small beetroot. Usually they are larger in size. Serve the Lindström patties with the roasted beetroot and goat cheese.
tableofcolors 
I love the Fall, the food the colors the crisp cool air. My favorite time of year. I think the salad and the burger sound wonderful, I wish my yellow mums would turn purple, they are fading to white and are a bit unappealing at the moment.
This year I have really enjoyed the fall since it has barely rained…I know rain is necessary, but when it drips down day after day…it’s not so fun anymore! 🙂 We had a bout of sub 0 Celsius nights and I really think that is why they turned purple.
Lovely, as always!
Thank you so much!
I love your pictures!!! Of course the food and recipes too 🙂 Very beautiful and delicious! Have a wonderful evening.
Thank you Bridget! I really love your photos in your posts too 🙂
Laila, what a beautiful post! I especially love that first photo – I’ve never seen chrysanthemums do that before! (Maybe we don’t get cold enough here)
I was actually quite lucky when the flowers turned purple, because shortly after I had planted them in the pot I was thinking that maybe I would have liked a different color instead. Maybe it was my wishful thinking, even though in reality I believe it was the bout of cold nights we had, my flowers turned into a pretty purple.
Stunning photos – love the photo of the clover field with the sun through the mist. I love the idea of the addition of grated beetroot to meat patties.
Thank you! It was one of those cool, almost cold mornings and once again I was running outside in my pyjamas with the camera in my hand. 🙂 It is only a question of minutes since the mist evaporates so quickly after the sun comes out. One does need to be quick in the situation!
I love imaging you running around in your pj’s in the cold because I can so relate having done the same to capture the right moment and light for photos. 🙂 The things we do!!
What a stunning post! Love all the images! So evocative of this amazing season!
Thank you so much!
So colorful and the food…looks yummy as usual:)
Thank you Gramma…wish we could have you over for dinner!
Your mums are very pretty and love how they change hue as Fall passes. Your photo of the field is quite beautiful, too. I’ve never heard of adding beets to a burger and am very interested. I’m also interested in in those beet chips. Two great ideas!
Thanks John! The beet chips were delicious…the first pan disappeared before it actually reached the table and so I quickly had to make another pan! 🙂 Adding beets to the burger gives it a new flavor and makes for great variety with very little extra work.
What a lovely picture you give of the autumn colours and the changes that are bringing you closer to winter. I don’t have fresh beetroot at the moment but I am eager to try some in a beef patty.
Thank you so much! It’s a simple enough of a recipe that when you get some fresh beetroot on hand you can easily make your own version of it. Its a great change to regular beef patty.
What a lovely post Laila. I love the idea of adding beetroot to ground beef.
Have a super day.
🙂 Mandy xo
Thank you Mandy! It’s a great way of sneaking vegies in so that the kids barely notice 🙂
Gorgeous images!!
Kenley
Thank you Kenley!
Your Lindström patties sound much more flavorful than some of the others I’ve seen! I love the idea of using rye crumbs instead of potatoes.
Thank you Mary. I think the rye gives the flavor a bit of depth as does the yoghurt.
I’ve been racking my brains to figure out what to do with the bunch of beets I bought the other day. What a lovely recipe for me to try! Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment, it’s really nice to find your wonderful site with your beautiful photos and your life in Finland, a place I’ve always wanted to visit.
Nazneen
Oh good! I hope you have had a chance to try the patties out! Thanks for stopping by!
beautiful photos! we love fall colors!
xx Vera & Rony
http://wattwewear.com/
Thank you Vera and Rony!
LOVE the idea of grated beetroot in patties, and I will definitely give these a try. I’m forever grating carrot and zucchini into mine; so beetroot will be a lovely change. Very intrigued that they contain yogurt! I often add milk to meatloaf though, so I guess it’s a similar principle. Lovely photos, especially your chrysanthemums – I’ve not heard them referred to as ‘mums’ before so I was confused initially 🙂
Thanks for your idea, I’ll have to give the carrot and zucchini a try next time for a change. The yoghurt gives a great flavor with just a bit of tartness.
Beautiful photos. There’s a similar dish that is traditional to the Frisian area of Germany, which is very close to Sweden, but they make it with fish instead of with beef.
Thanks Tracy. How interesting, I’m picturing that the patties made with fish would be an intriguing purple color.
The weather while traveling in Germany and Austria has been wonderful…I’m happy you have been having a nice fall as well.
I just went and read about your trip…so beautiful that the travel bug in me just would love to get on the road and explore! 🙂
I LOVE the colour purple and those flowers are oh, so pretty! That salad looks fabulous! Is that a large mushroom on top, or some kind of grilled cheese? I’ve got to try that patty and the beet chips.
Thank you Lidia! The salad has a grilled slice of goat cheese on top…which perfectly complements the beetroot.