I spent last week eating out of a small garden. A small garden is a special place. There’s something so very calming about carefully moving aside the large, deep green stalks with over-sized leaves to seek the ready vegetables. Then as I reached inside to pluck the ripe and beautiful yellow crookneck squash, the deep purple eggplants, and the vibrant red tomatoes, I reveled in knowing these would make a delicious and healthy dinner when sautéed in a little coconut oil. As I removed some of the dead leaves around the base of the squash plants and moved to add that vegetation to the mulch pile, I thought about the circle of life. Finally, my pickings waiting in a basket, I watered the soil and watched the spray sparking in the sunshine. Life is good. Eat out of a small garden when you can.

-- Lynn Thompson Baca, guest blogger