Today, my lunch salad ingredients came from my backyard. Not only was it delicious, it was so satisfying to walk out to the chicken coop and greenhouse and get my ingredients. I was so tickled about it and as I was eating, I thought about why it pleased me so much. So I did a little web surfing to see what others thought and found this quote: “Backyard gardening can inspire you to take an interest in the origins of your food and make better choices about what you put on your plate,” says Dr. Helen Delichatsios, an internist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. “When you grow your own food, you savor it more because of the effort it took to get to the table.” While this is true, I don't think it reflects what I was feeling. I have been collecting eggs from my chickens for 8 years now but this is the first season I have harvested greens from my greenhouse. And yes, it took some effort....and $$. My husband jokes that we eat $50 dozen eggs. And today's salad cost 10 times that amount. But the enjoyment I had in collecting, preparing and eating this simple salad was priceless. Silly, I know. But at this point in my life, these simple pleasures have become more important to me. You don't have to have a chicken coop or build a greenhouse. But I encourage to build a little raised bed in your backyard and consider plating a few things. It really brings alot of pleasure not to mention a healthy lunch.