spring veggie galette with herby goat cheese
also, how to (hopefully) catch a groundhog.
I should have known that things were going *too* well this season.
The weather has been cooperating, my team of helpers is skilled and reliable and so lovely to be around, our direct seeded crops all germinated beautifully, and the thousands of seedlings that we transplanted last week are thriving. It was all going so well. Too well. Because if I’ve learned anything after 15 years of farming and gardening, it’s that something (or many things) will ALWAYS go wrong, every season.
Even still, I was totally caught off guard on Monday morning when I walked through the garden and saw that a third of our kale crop was GONE. And a good chunk of our broccoli and cabbage seedlings? GONE. Upon closer inspection, I could see the tiny stems still poking out of the ground, but the rest of the plants had been (very rudely) eaten by a groundhog who lives just outside our deer fence. (See below for before/after photos of the section of kale the groundhog ate… apparently they really enjoy fancy schmancy purple kale?)
I’d like to think that I’m a fairly calm, gentle, and understanding person. But if you mess with my plants? I am RUTHLESS. I’ve spent the better part of this week doing damage control (ie sourcing new seedlings to replace what was lost), and trying every trick in the book to catch this freaking thing… or if nothing else, deter him from coming back. After some frantic late night google searching, I now know the best bait to catch a groundhog (cantaloupe), smells they hate (cayenne pepper and garlic), and other tricks to keep them out (pinwheels, vibrating/high pitched solar stakes, etc).
I just ran outside to check my traps, and so far, the score is still Groundhog – 1 vs Me – 0. But I am nothing if not relentless.
Any expert groundhog catchers out there?Please send me all the tips!
Groundhogs aside, it’s been a good and productive week around here. Our potatoes are planted (potato planting guide here), sugar snap peas are trellised, and we’re getting organized for our Spring CSA to start in just over a week.
Also! Keep your eyes out for a wildly comprehensive Spring Veggie Gardening Guide coming to your inboxes next Wednesday. I’ve put a TON of time and energy writing down every bit of information in my head about successfully growing spring veggies, and I can’t wait to share this guide with everyone next week.
Till then, happy growing, cooking, and eating everyone!
Need some culinary inspiration for the weekend? Here’s my weekly round up of seasonal recipes from around Substack (and from my ever-growing recipe index) to help you eat like a farmer:
Glazed Miso Honey Butter Radishes from your’s truly :)
Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting from
/Scotch Eggs from
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Keep reading for today’s recipe for Spring Veggie Galette with Herby Goat Cheese, available for paid subscribers.
Today’s recipe for a Spring Veggie Galette with Herby Goat Cheese is basically the essence of spring wrapped up in a flakey, buttery crust.. sooo, pretty much the best thing ever? Apparently I can’t get enough of this holy trinity of spring vegetables (asparagus, sugar snaps, and green peas) – seeing as they inspired my recipe last week, and they’re back again this week in galette form.
Galettes feel special, but they’re also a bit slapdash and imperfect, which I find to be the ideal *vibe* for pretty much any recipe. If you need a dish to bring to an upcoming Easter brunch or spring picnic, let me tell you, THIS IS IT. You can make it several hours ahead, then just slice it up and enjoy at room temp whenever the party’s getting started.
A note that when you cut into this galette, it can be a little messy and some of the veggies might spill out a bit. Don’t fret! When it’s time to serve, cut the whole galette into wedges, then just use your hands to pick up any veggies that have gone awry and put them back onto the slices.
A few helpful recipe + substitution notes:
Instead of making your own herbed goat cheese, you can also just get a 5-ounce package of herbed Boursin cheese and use it for the herby base for this galette.
For the galette dough, you can absolutely use store-bought pie crust! Just make sure to give the dough enough time to thaw if it’s frozen. Or if you’d like to make your own dough, you can’t go wrong with Alison Roman’s pie crust recipe (heads up, her recipe makes 2 pie dough disks).
This recipe calls for a spring veggie blend of asparagus, sugar snap / snow peas, and green peas.. though you don’t have to use all three! For example, if you don’t have access to sugar snap peas, just bump up the amount of green peas or asparagus.
Keep reading for the full recipe (and a handy 1-page PDF for easy printing).
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Spring Veggie Galette with Herby Goat Cheese
Serves 4-6
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