I was born in West Auckland. One day, Uncle John asked me, “What are you going to do when you grow up?” I was about four years old, and I had just discovered his impressive veggie garden. “I'm going to grow vegetables.”  “Well,” he said, “people will always need to eat.”

I grew a garden in Auckland’s volcanic soil. I grew a garden in Papamoa’s sand. I grew a garden in the High Country above Rotorua and Tauranga, with frosts and thin, gravelly soil. I had two children in my 40s, and grew a huge garden in Hokianga’s heavy clay and high humidity. I stored lots of vegetables, milked a cow, bottled everything, made cheese, and raised poultry, which my husband and children processed for the freezer. I grew many sacks of spuds, onions, and kumara every year. We had plenty; we fed many, and we gave away food. I grew and dried maize, millet, and amaranth. We had more than we needed. But you don't stay young forever. Seeing the need for many to feed themselves, I have written down what I learnt. In my mind, God was showing me ways of doing things when the supply chains broke. And I know so many of these skills have been lost. Support each other through this time. Pray and rejoice, and the Lord Jesus be with you.