Prepper already has her Christmas dinner ready - four months early

Meet the prepper who already has her Christmas dinner ready and preserved four months early – and says it doesn’t cost her a penny.

Gubba, 23, starts planning and preparing for the festive season in August to make sure it all goes smoothly on the day.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Gubba, who lives just outside of Seattle, Washington, US, said: “I start prepping for Christmas in late summer.

“This is my harvest season.

“I get everything preserved ready to go.

“It’s so easy.

“It’s a Christmas dinner for free – apart from my time.”

Gubba became self-sufficient after witnessing people “fighting for food” during the coronavirus pandemic and seeing the empty shelves at the local supermarket.

She moved out of the city and taught herself to grow fruit and vegetables and prepare for disasters.

Gubba now lives with her five Shepherd dogs and says she has enough food to last her for five years.

She said: “I have apple, pear, peach, tangerine and cherry trees.

“And I grow raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.

“They are great to make jams, pie fillings or even just for freezing to use later in a smoothie.

“I grow a wide variety of vegetables.”

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.

Gubba said: “My family does apple pies, so I am specifically preparing that.

“I cook the apple pie filling, put it in a clear gel to preserve it for canning.

“It’s ready to pour it into the pie.”

Gubba is also harvesting her apples ready to make a warm drink through December.

She said: “I am canning up juice.

“On the day I can warm it up over the stove. It’s a warm hearty drink.”

Gubba has already pre-made her canned corn and mash potato which she adds water to and cooks when she wants to eat it.

She is also preparing her gifts early – by creating hampers for her friends and family using her homestead products.

Gubba said: “I’m filling it with jams and chutneys, and I just harvested honey.

“I’ll be making jerky too.”

She’ll also be using branches and dried flowers from her land to make garlands and decorations – which she has already started collecting for.

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.

She wants to show others how easy it can be to prepare – to make your life easier on the day.

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.

Gubba said: “Everyone can have a food storage.

“You can keep food under your bed.

“I have plenty of food for myself and my neighbours.

“I am ready for any situation.”

Gubba's Christmas meal prep -

August - Harvests vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and corn in late summer and starts to preserve them
September – Picks her apples and cooks her apple pie filling and juice ready for warming up
September/ October – Collects and preserves flowers, pine and branches for garlands.
November/ December – Makes up the garlands and cuts a pine tree from her land. Barters for her ham.
Christmas day – Cooks up the preserved food