A young woman terrified of the empty supermarket shelves she witnessed during the pandemic has stocked up on five years’ worth of groceries.
Gubba, who lives just outside of Seattle, Washington, has stocked her pantry with hoards of homegrown fruits and vegetables, canned goods, rice and pasta.
The content creator, 23, decided to become self-sufficient after seeing people “fighting over food” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gubba, who goes by only her first name, says she’s prepared for the worst should a disaster strike, with some of her reserves said to last up to 30 years.
A woman who feared empty grocery shelves during the pandemic has now stocked her pantry with hoards of homegrown fruits and vegetables, canned goods, rice and pasta
Content creator Gubba, who lives near Seattle, Washington, decided to become self-sufficient after seeing people “fighting for food” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gubba’s three-layer storage system
Short-term: Fresh fruits and vegetables alongside canned essentials like peanut butter
Medium term: Surplus canned goods and packaged and freeze-dried goods
Long-term: Bagged pasta, beans and rice along with its own canned goods and 10-pound cans
Gubba first moved out of town in 2021 after buying a 1970s farmhouse on 38 acres of land on which she has since grown her homestead.
There she taught herself how to grow fresh fruit and vegetables and how to preserve them using techniques such as freeze drying and canning.
Speaking of her preparations, Gubba, who lives with her five sheepdogs, said: “The food I have now will last me five years.
“Before, I lived in the city and made a living off supermarket groceries.
“In the pandemic, I saw the empty shelves and I saw people fighting for groceries and wanting to be self-sufficient.
“I started reading gardening books and started a tiny little garden. Now I’m mostly self-sufficient. I didn’t know how to grow or grow food, but now I can.”
The homesteader also has a flock of 13 chickens, fruit trees and grows vegetables such as garlic, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers.
“I have apple, pear, peach, tangerine and cherry trees,” Gubba said.
“And I grow raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.
“They’re great for jams, pie fillings, or even just freezing for later use in a smoothie.
“I grow a wide variety of vegetables. I make my tomatoes and peppers into salsas and if you can they can last 10 years or more.’
Gubba uses a three-tiered system for her food storage — her pantry holds all of the everyday groceries that she uses to prepare her regular meals, such as fresh produce and canned food.
The 23-year-old (pictured left with her bees and right with her chickens) taught herself how to grow fresh fruit and vegetables after moving to the homestead
Gubba, who only goes by her first name, says some of her merchandise (pictured) will last up to 30 years in the event of a disaster
Gubba, who bought the farmhouse last year, uses a three-tier system for her food storage
Her middle shift holds her packaged and freeze-dried goods, and her long-term storage houses pasta and her own canned goods.
“I store noodles in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. They can last up to 20 years,” Gubba said.
“Freeze dried items can last up to 30 years and be just as fresh as frozen.
“Freeze drying removes all of the moisture from the food so all you have to do is rehydrate it.”
Gubba now spends her days doing chores around the farm before creating and streaming social media content.
She runs her own YouTube channel with more than 8,000 followers, where she shares tips with viewers on how to become more independent and best prepare for disasters — be it a hurricane, flood or other pandemic.
“Anyone can have a supply of groceries,” she said.
“You can store food under your bed. I have enough food for myself and my neighbors. I’m ready for any situation.”
In her blog, titled Gubba Homestead, the doomsday prepper emphasized the importance of being prepared: “I believe everyone should have a supply of groceries because it’s a way of shielding yourself from life’s unknown circumstances and the… to protect against unforeseen world events. ..
“No matter how many global emergencies [people] endure, they still insist that the grocery store mentality is their protection. No entity, program or grocery store is your protection – YOU are your only protection!
“Stop relying on outside sources to take care of you, that’s a mindset of failure. Want to fight the crowd next time disaster rolls around?’
She added: “You can prepare yourself in a way that you can thrive in disaster scenarios, not just survive.
“Can you feed your family and support yourself in a scenario where the grocery stores are indefinitely empty? If you can’t, start preparing now.’