Intentional Living Series: Why We Spend So Much of Our Summer in the Garden

August 20, 2026

Robin and I often look at each other sometime in the middle of July or August and ask:

Are we crazy?

Are we crazy to spend this much time in our gardens? To come home after working full-time jobs and head outside to weed, water, harvest, plant the second round of crops, and figure out what needs to be canned, frozen, dried, fermented, or put away for winter?

The answer is probably yes.

But the other answer is: we really wouldn't want to do it any other way.

It's About Knowing What We're Bringing Into Our Homes

For us, intentional living isn't about doing everything perfectly or rejecting everything modern. It's about paying attention.

We care about what we feed our families. We care about the ingredients in the products we use every day. And whenever we can grow it, make it, preserve it, source it locally, or simply know more about where it came from—we try to do that.

That philosophy is a big part of how Kinwell Roots came to be, but it started long before we ever thought about creating a business.

And we certainly don't do it alone.

Our Own Kind of “Crowdsourcing”

One of our favorite parts of this lifestyle is the circle of friends who have joined us along the way. We joke that we have created our own little crowdsourcing network.

If a natural product or grocery item we've relied on changes ownership or ingredients, someone sends out the alert. If someone discovers a great new product, everyone hears about it. We share apps and resources that help us make more informed decisions while we're shopping.

We swap recipes and share what we're making at home—from fermented garlic honey and fire cider to elderberry syrup and dried mullein. We grow and preserve herbs and plants and trade ideas about the traditional ways families have used them for generations.

And then there are the bulk purchases.

Peaches. Tomatoes. Canning jars. Grass-fed beef. Produce.

Instead of every family buying large quantities individually, we'll often purchase together and divide everything based on what each household knows it will actually use. It saves money, reduces waste, and builds community at the same time.

Maybe intentional living doesn't have to be individual living.

What We've Been Doing Instead of Watching Netflix

The last month and a half has been BUSY. While plenty of people have been catching up on the latest binge-worthy show, we've been spending our evenings preparing for fall and winter. So far, we've put up fresh sweet corn, peaches, sauces, garlic, onions, potatoes and more.

Our herbs, teas, and super greens are dried and tucked into jars. Our pantry is stocked with homemade staples, including things like our own taco and ranch seasonings.

And now we're preparing for one of our favorite—and definitely one of our biggest—traditions of the year:

Tomatoes Day.

We'll process more than 400 pounds of Ohio grown Roma tomatoes into the sauces and tomato products our families will use throughout the winter.

Is it a lot of work? Absolutely. But there is something incredibly satisfying about opening a jar in January and knowing exactly where that food came from and remembering the summer day when we put it away.

You Don't Need a Farm

Here's another important part of our story: We don't live on farms.

We live in the suburbs. Much of what we grow comes straight from our backyards, along with Robin's second garden at camp. We grow lettuce, jalapeños, herbs, tomatoes, garlic, potatoes, greens and so much more in spaces that most people wouldn't consider farmland.

That's part of why we share this Intentional Living Series.

You don't need acres of land to begin.

You don't need to grow 400 pounds of tomatoes.

You don't need to make your own seasonings, preserve your own corn AND dry herbs AND learn how to make fire cider.

Start with one thing.

Grow lettuce in a container. Plant herbs on your patio. Buy tomatoes from a local farmer and make one batch of sauce. Split a bulk purchase of grass-fed beef with a friend. Learn to make one pantry staple your family uses all the time.

Intentional living isn't about changing everything overnight. We've always believed it's about evolution, not revolution.

We're Busy, Too

We understand one of the biggest objections because we live it:

“I don't have time.”

Neither do we.

We have full-time jobs. Families. Businesses. Commitments. Homes. Friends. And all the other things that fill up a life.

We simply choose to spend some of our available time doing this. So no, we may not be able to tell you what happened on the latest Netflix series. But ask us about the garlic scape and sundried tomato butter we've put up. Ask us how good the pesto tastes when the basil was growing in the garden an hour earlier. Ask us how satisfying it is to look at shelves filled with jars and know that summer's harvest will continue feeding our families long after the garden has gone quiet.

That's our version of intentional living.

Now We Want to Crowdsource With You

This is where we'd love for the Kinwell Roots community to join the conversation.

What are you doing that the rest of us should know about?

Is there a natural product you've found and love? An app you use while grocery shopping? A local farm or producer everyone should know about? A recipe your family makes instead of buying the packaged version? Something you grow, preserve, ferment, freeze, dry, make, or buy in bulk?

Share it with us via email and maybe you'll see it in our next blog.

Let's turn this community into a bigger version of the circle of friends Robin and I have relied on for years.

Because none of us has all the answers—but collectively, we know a whole lot.

And maybe that's one of the best parts of intentional living: learning from each other, sharing what works, and helping one another make thoughtful choices for the people we love.

Family-Crafted. Touched by the Sun. Made With Love.