From Scratch or Ocean County Stores?

I made a pleasant and yummy discovery while visiting my favorite "foodie" friends.  Homemade no-churn ice cream is super easy to make.  And it's delicious!  Click here for the recipe.

Granted my main contribution was cutting cherries into quarters but I watched closely as my friend put each ingredient into the mixer and poured it into the loaf pan.  I wrapped it in plastic and put it in the freezer.  The next day, it was the perfect after-dinner treat.

If it's that easy to make ice cream, I wondered, why doesn't everyone do it?  And why are ice cream making machines so popular?  Are they really necessary?

Not to diminish the awesomeness of the great ice cream shops in and around Ocean County.  I doubt any amateur chef at home could recreate what the shops make so well. I'm in awe of all the different flavors that can be scooped at the shops.   But my experience in the kitchen got me wondering about other things that are pretty simple to make at home.

I've heard tomato sauce is pretty easy.  Many friends and family members ditched buying jar sauce years ago.  Are you growing your own lettuce and salad fixings or do you purchase everything?  What is something that you discovered you like to make or grow from scratch, rather than buying?