The little "snack" bags are quite useful for portions, however, they are storage not freezer bags so you get some air leakage. I put the scissor-snipped chives or the small sliced green onions in these little bags, then put them in a quart canning jar with a used lid and band. Saves space and labeling is done once on the jar, not every single little bag. I also do this for black olives that I buy in huge cans and divvy up portions for pizza, diced yellow onions, chopped garlic, prepared leeks, and shredded cheeses. I call my freezer the "frozen pantry" since my flours, cornmeal/masa, oatmeal, dry yeast, and cooked rice live there too. Nancy

I dice some peppers so I can just knock out what I need for soups, etc. I learned my lesson about being too frugal trying to save on bags. I chopped onions and froze in a gallon ziploc. By the time I used them up, they had pretty well frozen into a solid block from the bit of thawing each time I took them out of the freezer. It didn't really pay to save a few bags. Smaller sizes are easier to work with! You can stuff the peppers and freeze them too! Otherwise.........what Dave said!! LOL Deanna

My side by side fridge and freezer is fairly big. Used to have a 30"x30" chest freezer years ago, but you needed to stand on your get to get to the bottom of it, and it would frost up about every 3 months. The newer freezer is slightly larger than the older one. The heat coils usually on the back are embedded inside the box, so the sides and to fell very warm to the touch. I also added a freezer alarm that shows temp and signals of its above 25 degrees. The alarms have saved me a lot of grief. Hope you have a good viable sourdough culture! I had posted a few times about how to keep them going for many years. I make a batch from my starter and mix only flour and water into it, nothing else. I like the starter to be quite thick as opposed to a batter. After 2-3 days if its not bubbling well, I take some of a dried batch I have stored in a plastic bag in the fridge, then I just add a bit of my dried culture and it usually starts right up within a few hours. After a 1-2 days, I spoon out a small amount and spread it on a sheet of plastic wrap to dry out. After a day of drying, it gets crumbled and placed in the fridge for quite some length of time, as it keeps very well that way. The rest of the bubbling mixture gets a cup taken out and put back in the fridge for the next time. The rest, gets mixed with more flour (sometimes whole wheat) and water. Another 2 days pass and its usually ready for the bread making. I do add regular yeast too, but thats only for the quicker rise I like to see. I know someone who adds sour cream to their bread. Very crusty and sour! Might make a batch of bread this weekend, and use a little buttermilk in the dough just to give it a bit smoother/finer texture. My herbed butter was made last summer and I used fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, and lots of garlic. It all went into a small food processor to be finely chopped, then I added chunks of butter and some olive oil. I don't mix too much longer as butter will soften and melt a bit. I have these Japanese sushi molds that I line with plastic wrap and place a spoon of the mixture in each compartment. Its covered with wrap and a small plastic cover is pressed on, molding it into a small rectangular shaped cube. I place in the freezer and let them harden and then pull out the wrap from the plastic mold and cut them into individual chunks then back into the the freezer. When I do the turkey its usually just a big breast and rib meat (healthier with less fat). The herbed butter gets stuffed under the skin on top of the breast. I also posted my way of doing stuffing with sausage meat and chestnuts, as well as mixed breads. I will probabaly add a few dried cranberries to it as well as they give a nice burst of tart/tang when you eat some.

Onions in my freezer are in many prepared soups, chili, etc. And similar to grainlady's list. I've not had a need to freeze fresh. I only make lasagne in the late summer/fall when the garden is over producing. I make it in my big turkey roaster and it weighs a ton! I under cook it by 1/2 hour, let it cool and set. Then slice and freeze. Re-heats lovely. I do put the most watery veggies as the bottom layers so most of the moisture adds steam while cooking. First layer bottom is mandolined sweet potatoes. Half way up is an onion and mushroom layer that are caramelized beforehand, and to sweat out the liquid of the mushroom. A bit different every year depending on what is at hand... Just an example of thinking through what might be causing your individual recipe and how to handle onions....caramelizing first will add such rich flavor to other veggies that you may want to stay a bit more 'fresh' in flavor. If i know i will be freezing something, i just prepare a bit differently sometimes. Made a pasta salad for tonights bbq. The sauce base was chilled first. All the crisp veggies and herbs i keep fresh for crunch. The same sauce could be frozen but i would simmer 20 minutes first, then freeze. Still would be delicious but just a slightly different dish...good over pasta reheated for a warm dish rather that a cold salad.