Meet the prepper who already has her Christmas dinner ready and preserved four months early – and says it doesn’t cost her a penny.<br /><br />Gubba, 23, starts planning and preparing for the festive season in August to make sure it all goes smoothly on the day.<br /><br />The content creator lives on a 30-acre farm and harvests vegetables such as potatoes and carrots in late summer and chops and preserves them by canning.<br /><br />She picks her apples in August and September and cooks up her apple pie filling with all the spices – ready to bake in the pastry come Christmas day.<br /><br />Gubba’s family traditionally have a ham for Christmas dinner, which she sources from the local farmer and barters for by giving them her homemade honey.<br /><br />Previously a city girl, she used to spend up to $500 on Christmas dinner but now says by growing and preserving it she makes it for free.<br /><br />Gubba, who lives just outside of Seattle, Washington, US, said: “I start prepping for Christmas in late summer.<br /><br />“This is my harvest season.<br /><br />“I get everything preserved ready to go.<br /><br />“It’s so easy.<br /><br />“It’s a Christmas dinner for free – apart from my time.”<br /><br />Gubba became self-sufficient after witnessing people “fighting for food” during the coronavirus pandemic and seeing the empty shelves at the local supermarket.<br /><br />She moved out of the city and taught herself to grow fruit and vegetables and prepare for disasters.<br /><br />Gubba now lives with her five Shepherd dogs and says she has enough food to last her for five years.<br /><br />She said: “I have apple, pear, peach, tangerine and cherry trees.<br /><br />“And I grow raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.<br /><br />“They are great to make jams, pie fillings or even just for freezing to use later in a smoothie.<br /><br />“I grow a wide variety of vegetables.”<br /><br />She preserves her food with a variety of methods such as canning and freeze drying and does the same for the vegetables she uses for her Christmas dinner.<br /><br />Gubba said: “My family does apple pies, so I am specifically preparing that.<br /><br />“I cook the apple pie filling, put it in a clear gel to preserve it for canning.<br /><br />“It’s ready to pour it into the pie.”<br /><br />Gubba is also harvesting her apples ready to make a warm drink through December.<br /><br />She said: “I am canning up juice.<br /><br />“On the day I can warm it up over the stove. It’s a warm hearty drink.”<br /><br />Gubba has already pre-made her canned corn and mash potato which she adds water to and cooks when she wants to eat it.<br /><br />She is also preparing her gifts early – by creating hampers for her friends and family using her homestead products.<br /><br />Gubba said: “I’m filling it with jams and chutneys, and I just harvested honey.<br /><br />“I’ll be making jerky too.”<br /><br />She’ll also be using branches and dried flowers from her land to make garlands and decorations – which she has already started collecting for.<br /><br />Gubba has pine trees growing on her land – one of which she will use for her Christmas tree and reuse for her goats feed after the festive period.<br /><br />She wants to show others how easy it can be to prepare – to make your life easier on the day.<br /><br />She has a three-layered storage system and a pantry with her fresh produce, canned goods, boxed and free-dried goods but says anyone can make space to store food.<br /><br />Gubba said: “Everyone can have a food storage.<br /><br />“You can keep food under your bed.<br /><br />“I have plenty of food for myself and my neighbours.<br /><br />“I am ready for any situation.”<br /><br />Gubba's Christmas meal prep -<br /><br />August - Harvests vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and corn in late summer and starts to preserve them<br />September – Picks her apples and cooks her apple pie filling and juice ready for warming up<br />September/ October – Collects and preserves flowers, pine and branches for garlands.<br />November/ December – Makes up the garlands and cuts a pine tree from her land. Barters for her ham.<br />Christmas day – Cooks up the preserved food
