Sage Turkey Burgers

When I used to think of gardening at home, my mind immediately conjured up images of fresh green beans, tomatoes, and zucchini.  I never really got too excited about the thought of growing herbs.  My dad always had a very well kept herb garden when I was growing up and I do remember our kitchen filled with small bundles of basil, thyme, and oregano hanging from the pot rack drying for later use.  Now that I have my own garden, I've realized how great growing fresh herbs can be.  There are so many benefits to growing your own herbs and spices starting with the ability to do so in pretty much any space.  Right now I have rosemary and parsley growing in small pots on my kitchen window sill, oregano and cilantro in larger pots on our patio, while the basil and sage is planted in our garden serving as a border to keep small animals away (yup, they're pulling double duty as food and pest control).

Another benefit to having your own herbs is that they're always there when you need them.  Have you ever purchased fresh herbs at the store, paid way to much for them and had to buy way more than you needed only for them to wilt or get slimy in the fridge?  Well I have and it irritates me!  Having my own on the widow sill or in the backyard lets me just go out, pick what I need and they're fresher than fresh. Also many of them including sage, oregano, thyme, and cilantro are perennials, meaning they'll come back year after year.  So all you need to do is pick a spot and plant them once.  It doesn't get much easier than that.

This past week, we enjoyed some of our fresh sage used to make turkey burgers.  I love sage as a poultry seasoning whether you're grilling or roasting chicken or turkey, it's fantastic.  It adds a whole lot of flavor on it's own so you can dial back on the salt if you're looking to cut back on your sodium intake.  Here's what I did in this super simple summer recipe:

Sage Turkey Burgers

1 lb. ground turkey

1/4 cup of freshly chopped sage

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

A pinch of salt

A pinch of pepper

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  Divide meat into four equal sized patties and place on grill or in a large skillet with 1 tbsp. of olive oil.  Cook for 3 minutes on either side or until the inner temperature of the burgers is 165 degrees F.

Add any toppings that you choose.  Some that we like are lettuce and tomato, of course, red onion, natural cheese such as cheddar, or avocado slices.