Grilled Asparagus with Parmesan & Garlic, 3 Must-Read Substacks, 6 Steps To Perfect Tomatoes + Good News | 5/18/25
6 Steps To Perfect Tomatoes, 3 Must-Read Resistance Substacks, Lotsa Good News + Great Grilled Asparagus
Between the intensity of work and life lately, I’ve been in a little bit of a resistance slump that puts me in mind of this graphic I shared here on 11/8/24.
I’m trying to remind myself that Breaks Are Necessary. My slump is probably due to the fact that my own resistance is kindled by creativity (like car magnets and protest signs) but I haven’t had the space or time to be creative lately.
This time of year is PACKED. Work is all-consuming as we race to pass a critical environmental and public health bill to cut single-use plastic packaging and ban 17 toxic chemicals during the final few weeks of the NY state legislative session (fingers crossed, all engines firing, if you live in NY and want to help, email me!)
There are lots of end of year events at the school that I don’t want to miss. It appears that the kids have outgrown their sneakers, shorts, and -shirts. The farmer’s market opened again (hurray!) And the garden requires a lot of time and attention - top dressing, planting, transplanting, weeding, watering, wood chipping, pest-killing, and more.
But there is one thing in the garden that requires almost no effort right now—asparagus. We just have to pick it! When it’s warm out, the spears grow about a foot a day. It’s hard to keep up—we give away bunches of it every week because we’ve learned the hard way that one can’t eat asparagus every day and still enjoy it.🌱🍴
⬇️Scroll down for a quick, easy, delish asparagus recipe, 6 tips for growing perfect tomatoes, lots of good news, and 3 of my favorite substacks. I hope your fight is strong. Wishing you a good Sunday.
-Eve
FEED YOUR BELLY: GRILLED PARMESAN-GARLIC ASPARAGUS
This recipe is as tasty as it is easy. I love the grill partly because there’s no baking sheet or dish to clean up. We make this with just-picked asparagus and it takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. Num num.
FEED YOUR SPIRIT: GOOD NEWS FROM ALL OVER
Here’s a selection of just a smattering of the tons of good news out there. Amplify it!
As a lifelong lover of books and reading, this makes me happy. NPR reports that states have won a legal injuction that pauess Trump’s cuts to libraries.
Demand for Teslas in the US has dropped by 13% in the first quarter. Suck it, Elon.
Leaders in the capitals of Idaho and Utah came up with a wonderful way to circumvent the Republican legislatures’ hateful bans on flying pride flags and other “unofficial” flags on government property. More from The Guardian.
Two weeks ago, AZ Governor and staunch LGBTQ+ ally Katie Hobbs vetoed three new laws targeting trans people and issued this hella awesome statement: “Today, I vetoed House Bill 2438. This bill will not lower costs, will not increase opportunity, and will not enhance security or freedom for Arizona. I encourage the Legislature to focus on real issues that matter and impact people’s everyday lives.” Better yet, Arizona Republicans do not have the votes to override her vetoes.
The world has a new Pope. Father Bob from Chicago is a naturalized citizen of Peru, speaks 5 languages and is an outspoken champion of the poor and immigrants who’s been critical of Trump and Vance on social media and called for peace in Gaza & Ukraine this week. 😍 Learn more about Pope Leo.
On Friday, The Supreme Court told Trump he cannot quickly resume deportation of Venezuelan migrants using an 18th century law. The Cheeto is fuming.
A school district in Colorado is building tiny homes at affordable prices for educations and young people to help them move out of poverty and gain a foothold.
On Tuesday, NC swore in Democratic Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs, ending 6 months of GOP led efforts to overturn the election results by changing the rules of voting after their guy lost.
Democrats pulled off a big upset in Nebraska, electing Omaha’s first black mayor!
On Tuesday, Gov. Wes Moore signed a law making Maryland the first state to use money collected from a surcharge on insurance plans to fund a program to pay for abortions for people without insurance. Go MD!
Marine litter on EU coastlines is down by 1/3! Single-use plastic reduction really works, folks!
Trump’s attack on ActBlue, the primary online fundraising platform for progressive political candidates, backfired, resulting in a massive increase in donations.
A Michigan judge issued a preliminary injunction against parts of state law that block access to abortions: a mandatory 24-hour waiting period before receiving an abortion, the state's "informed consent" law, and a ban on advanced practice clinicians providing abortion care.
FEED YOUR FIGHT: 3 ESSENTIAL SUBSTACKS
I strongly recommend that you subscribe to these three wonderful resistance-focused substacks ASAP if you haven’t already.
Jessica Craven’s Chop Wood, Carry Water Daily Actions - current actions, lots of good news.
Robert Hubbell’s Today’s Edition Newsletter offers thoughtful analysis and helpful suggestions.
Michael Moore’s Substack - righteous, grassroots-focused, insanely smart, also just very funny. Moore has been speaking truth to power for so many decades.
FEED YOUR TOMATOES: 6 TIPS FOR PERFECTION
Ah, tomatoes. There’s nothing like picking a tomato from the vine in your garden, feeling it’s warmth and weight in your hand, breathing in that heady aroma, anticipating its juicy sweetness.
Despite the many pitfalls on the path to perfect tomatoes ( various blights and fungi, the well-camouflaged and voracious tomato hornworm, and the dreaded blossom end rot), you can grow them successfully if you follow my six simple tips, including this fantastic hack I learned from my friend, master gardener, brilliant puppeteer and artist, Grian MacGregor years ago.
Tomatoes require a LOT of calcium. If your soil does not contain sufficient calcium for these heavy feeders, you’ll end up with something called blossom end rot which is oh so sad.
But you can avoid this heartbreaking occurrence (or avert it, if you catch it early enough) by amending your soil with calcium. How? Save your eggshells! Once you’ve got a lot, bake them. Then grind them into a powder and mix the powdered shell into the soil you’re growing your ‘maters in. BOOM! 🍅💥🍅
Although you can buy calcium, I prefer this method because a) it’s free 💸, and b) it keeps your eggshells out of the garbage 🗑️where they’d just turn into climate warming methane. It’s also a lot quicker and more direct than putting your eggshells in the compost since it takes years for eggshells to break down in a backyard compost situation. No cost, no waste, great tomatoes = it’s a win-win-win.✌️✌🏽✌🏿
We do this every year and it works wonders. Read my full post which includes this hack + five other key steps to growing great tomatoes - many of which I learned from an in-person Cornell Cooperative event years ago with Margaret Roach, author of the blog A Way To Garden.
