Avocados can be frozen, also flat packed.

Onions, celery, carrot, garlic, green onion. Make a batch of mirepoix. Saute just shy of what you would normally do. Flat pack. Moist items do not need a food saver seal. (don't waste those bags). Air can be pushed out fine in freezer zip-locks.

Thanks Jack!. Yes, the dehydrator. I have a huge one but it is upstate in the barn. I use it mostly for fall harvest.

My oven temp starts at 100ºF.

Kale, beet, carrot chips. I make those in my oven.

Keep in mind when shopping, so many surrounding us never cook. They are stock piling cans. A big bag of onions can be cooked down as caramelized.

And don't forget making your own garlic and onion powder after dehydrating. I really need to dry more herbs this season instead of watching them waste away in the fall.

I do lots of dehydrating too. Onions, celery, carrot, greens, peppers, tomatoes, root veggies. Squash for flour.. Corn, peas, green beans, asparagus and mushrooms.. Lots of herbs.

If one does not have a dehydrator.. and their oven might get a bit too warm. If you have the materials in your house, you can try a box fan dehydrator, like this: https://frugalvagabond.com/the-box-fan-dehydrator-experiment/

There's solar dehydrators too, but those can get pricey or a bit DIY heavy for many folks.

I do also do freezing- some stuff in the raw, other stuff cooked down. And lots of pickling and canning.

March 3rd in NY I secured a delivery date 10 days future, FreshDirect

.By the time it arrived half was missing. No notice, no text, no e-mail. We knew we would have to do without many luxuries. Garlic, ginger, shallots, etc. (we have plenty dehydrated, but not the same) Then the Wholesaler opened up to home service delivery. I shopped bonkers. DH thought I had lost it. (now thrilled!)

Among other things I have 10 lbs of garlic, 10 lbs of ginger, 5 lbs of turmeric. Still very fresh but making a paste today, some goes in juicing for the freezer, some in vodka for the fridge. (I have lots of dehydrated). It will be a while before my garden garlic is ready).

What is important when shopping...don't hesitate to order 'think-ahead' items.

We were down to a 1/4 lb of parm. Oh well, do without. I have a bag of nutritional yeast in the pantry. Then scored a 4 pound wheel from the wholesaler.

Most if not all fresh veg can be blanched and frozen. Most are buying canned.

I have a 1,2,3 system we have done in the past for my parents freezer. I'll post in pics when I have that method prepped.

About bread.

Sure it is best to bake your own but some just hate the process or intimidated. A favorite bakery needs your support to stay open.

Just about all breads and pastries freeze really well. I wrap 4 slices in parchment, then foil for sandwiches. Homemade boule in chunks for soup croutons. Stale day old baguettes gan be revived but wetting under the sink faucet and baked in the oven or slices wrapped in a damp p-towel in the microwave. (google reviving stale bread).

No dehydrator here, but I did get some potatoes a while back, made twice baked with them, some with cheese, some with bacon. Chives can be added to. They freeze well, re-heat nicely.

I also freeze buttermilk. I can never use it all, but use it in pancakes, cakes, and other recipes. If using it for cooking, freezing is fine. I measure 1 cup into a ziplock baggie, place the baggie on a cookie sheet, freeze, then stack them into a larger ziplock. Just whisk after thawed.

Sleevendog, avocadoes? For cooking, right? Do you slice and freeze, or what? I need some details please : )

I need to do some avocados today. A few different methods I've read about. But I usually just cube and into a quart zip-lock, smoosh flat. Get all the air out. And do the back of the chef knife trick to press a score line dividing the bag into quarters. (will break of easy once frozen into portions.) Thaws still a bit chunky for a salad, guac, dressing, butter, sandwich, burger. You should google. Some add lemon juice.

I had no idea, I'd have guessed not. Now I just have to hope a misfits box gives me too many avocados! Thanks Sleeve. Good topic.

Those tiny Misfit avocados are the best I have ever had. Very dense. Very heavy for their size.

I'll put this here for lack of a better place....first time baking bread. He does a few things wrong but nothing like watching a first timer bake if you have never baked bread before yourself. (that dutch oven is filthy, lol)...but good for him!

He did pretty well for a first timer, but I giggled about 'I think this is the seam'. That lid, though! A lot of people baking bread for the first time, and I think a no-knead is a great way to start. I freeze the majority of bread I bake. Thaws so nicely.

"Those tiny Misfit avocados are the best I have ever had. Very dense. Very heavy for their size." Don't tell me that, now they prob won't send me any for a couple months.

I did try to freeze eggs (scrambled) in an ice cube tray, but I can't get the darned things out. I froze only 6, which I can thaw whole if needed and make DH's egg bites. I did try soaking in warm water. They still won't come out. Oh well.

For a first-time bread effort he did a lot better than I did LOL but yeah, that dutch oven... Ewww. I want so bad to make bread. I did get a batch of mayo made yesterday but it about did me in. :-(

I do have some room in my freezer right now but the strawberry patch down the road is expecting to start picking early next week so that will fill it back up. Love my strawberries!!

(He does not know about BarKeepersFriend). : )

Yes, the most fortunate thing is the timing. The entire country is entering local farm produce harvesting for the Spring. Most unfortunate are large processing plants for proteins are shutting down that will affect the supply chain.

Another tip learned from storm prep. Keep any small freezer space filled with water bottles of ice or ice packs. I pulled some out but put them back when we had space. Thaw big items like whole chickens, bulky things taking up space, cover in ice packs or any ice, and thaw wrapped in a cardboard lined cooler. They will thaw very slowly. 3-4, even 5-6 days depending how well packed and the coolers quality.

Fill that bulky freezer hog space with boneless chicken breasts or thighs. Or frozen fish fillets, shrimp, scallops, etc. (If you are lucky to find any of them in your grocery).

Take bulky packaging like cardboard boxes out and flat pack frozen foods like pizza and processed meals and free up some space (if lacking freezer space). Lots of packaging is 50% air.

Or, don't hesitate purchasing a big frozen bulky item. Thaw it slowly in a cooler and plan for that meal. Two frozen chickens can be cooked in the oven together and can be future meals packed frozen in small portions. As well as a good stock for so many things.

Sleevendog, I appreciate the above tips. I finally went through some of the items in our freezer in large boxes and put them in ziplocks. Freezer is packed. But it goes fast.

We are one of 3 States which will reopen early. May 30 no more safer at home order. Not that anyone is really following that (aside from us). People out in hoards, no masks. Non essentials will reopen. I think this is a huge mistake, and it bothers me tremendously. In our 3 local cities we'll have tourist coming in. I predict in 4 weeks time we'll have serious spread. In 6 weeks they'll finally realize it was a mistake, and it will be too late. I hope very much I am wrong. DH said he'd fight as much as he can to work from home. People have continued to come into the main office to pay bills, daily. Lines of them.

I'm trying to prep for the probability things will get much worse. Thank goodness we have some things back in the stores. I'll stick to curbside, and ordering online. I ordered scallops, which I wouldn't have as there are other things that will take up freezer room that are more substantive, but it's nice to have something special on occasion, and my 60th is coming up. Gosh, am I that... young? : )

So glad I ordered those beans yesterday, and found more to buy! Easy to store, and easy to use. So glad to have ordered the seeds for microgreens (some coming soon, others later).

I want one more whole chicken, if I can get it... but have no room! Ah, I shouldn't complain when there are those who have empty or near empty fridges/freezers. Anyway, thank you again for offering up so much helpful, useful, advice. Not sure why I can't think of these things myself, but guess I'm a bit overwhelmed with full time work, DH at home, and all things going on.

Potatoes can be frozen?! Good to know. We put two kinds of potatoes on our Giant pick-up list, hoping we might get one of them, and we got both. Now I have about 8 pounds of potatoes, some that are sprouting. Normally I buy just a few potatoes at the farmers' market.

It is cold and rainy here. Thunderstorms. I've said before that I pray for these types of days to keep people inside. Lots of towns around me are doing 'shut-down-mondays' so no shopping at all....plan ahead. Give our grocery workers a break or at least give them time to re-stock.

That is a shame about your area being less serious. Look at Holland. Shut down immediately and the message was assume everyone is infected. So distancing was way over 6ft. I'm sure they had mandatory masks. (don't know the details)

We are both muddle-brained. I'm dancing the downstairs freezer and the kitchen fridge. Double checking cryovac dates. Checking fresh veg for freshness. Planning meals based on what should be used first...got the time, mostly don't feel like it but keeping up.

(new computer came last Friday, earlier date than said, but not in the mood to focus on the set-up...just glad to have it)

We have the highest in the state in my county because the Hasidic community will not comply.

But you know what to do. Thankfully my dad gets it now. He did take it seriously being a scientist, but at first was oblivious not believing it would end up in their small town.

Just shocking how irresponsible so many people are being. Such a shame.

Whole Foods in Manhattan shut down completely for on-line ordering only. Good for them. Keep the employees safe.

I would not hesitate buying a couple whole chickens if you can get them. I usually roast two together using the oven heat. Just plan to roast that day or keep in a cooler. That would be a first night meal, then a second night with a bbq sauce or favorite similar sauce....roasted under the broiler to re-heat. Then pick the meat for chicken salad, then stock. Chicken picked off the bone, freeze in tiny packets, food saver or quart zip locks. Takes up tiny space in the freezer.

I am going to try freezing mushrooms, the white button ones. I really like fresh over canned, but they keep spoiling. I read the other day, that you can saute them, let cool and freeze.

Cooked mushrooms freeze great.

I tried freezing avocados; they tasted ickky. If I attempt freezing them again, will vacuum pack.

2many I put a little square of plastic wrap into each section of a cupcake pan, pour in the buttermilk, freeze, then put them all into a quart bag. Uses a little less plastic!

I also dehydrate a lot of things, like garlic and onion, those I grind in a coffee grinder for powder. Elery has been using a lot of that foraged sumac I prepped last year. I have a LOT of dried zucchini, some I seasoned and those are eaten as snacks, other slices go into vegetable soup.

I froze some mashed avocados, and they weren't good for toast because they did taste different and were a little "watery", but they were fine as guacamole, especially when I added fresh tomatoes, onions and peppers for texture.

2many, I freeze eggs in muffin pans, two per "muffin". I put the pan into a sink with a bit of warm water and let it thaw a few seconds, then pop them out and freeze them in freezer bags. Two eggs per "puck", just enough for most of my baking projects. My pans are just metal pans, I'm thinking that silicone pans might work well.

I just got an email saying my 25 meat chicks would be shipped the week of May 8, right on time, and I won't worry about the meat packers right now, because we slaughter/pluck/clean them ourselves. I'm also completely competent to dress/skin/cut up/package a deer, if we are still having issues next fall. My only concern is getting those two beef processed in the fall, I do NOT want to cut up a whole beef myself, although I guess I can if I have to.

Asparagus got weeded and fertilized yesterday, so I'm waiting impatiently, I'm sure it will be another 3 weeks or so. The only thing green in the garden right now is the garlic and those walking onions that naturegirl gave me to plant and they're all growing. Elery is going to build me a small hoop house over the raised beds and I'll be planting spinach, pak choi, lettuces, mizuna, amaranth, so we'll have fresh salads to hold us over until the garden starts. And here is my "grow operation", appropriately protected from my cats, LOL:

Annie

Aw, gosh! Annie, your tomatoes and things are bigger than mine. But I had no real light. Aw... : ) Mine don't even have true leaves yet. Under a small lamp for now... I did try soaking the egg-cubes a bit in warm water. The eggs wouldn't budge! I may try nancyjane's method, and use plastic wrap to pull them out... and a muffin tin.

Sleevenedog, good to hear you've got that new computer. At least you've got back up now. Yeah, I'm trying not to spazz. News on last night, I was in the next room (kitchen) and heard only bits and pieces, poked my head in and said to DH: Are they talking about how dumb we are? (referring to our state politicians for reopening; protesters). He said yes. I want back to cooking. I'm working fast as I can today... I need yard therapy tonight. I've decided to try for a couple chickens as you suggested (they don't always have them now). I'll cook them same night, and parse them out. Ha! That's what I do! I pull off the bits and into a baggie they go, into the freezer - always great for making chicken salad!

My freezer here is full, and so I cannot freeze anything until I use something that is already frozen.

I neglected to bring my dehydrator with me, but the new stove here has a dehydrating setting on the oven that is 135°. I also forgot to bring more of the apples that I had dehydrated, but those will be good for later.

Got the little chest freezer cleaned up and running again today. Usually I run one freezer done sometime around January, to rotate between that and the upright and start the spring restocking of a lot of usual great sales.

Only plague happened, and heh. Left a lot of the sales on the shelves for others since I still had good stock. But today had to go out and pick up a couple things, and there were some good deals to replenish my low supply of chicken and frozen fish.

The store also had great amounts of kaiser buns, brat buns, and bomber sub buns- I realized while reshuffling at home before shopping I got a lot of sausages, sloppy joes and pulled meat stuffings, and such.. but zero breads for them. And pita bread on sale and cocktail pumpernickel.

And today was a second round of trimming wild chives out of the lawn- I cultivate several patches to harvest before the grass grows high enough for mowing. The first generous pound was already made into compound butter and the little bit left frozen. Now I got an almost 2 pounds worth and the freezer space to tuck them away nicely for the year.

I think I still have another nice pound or so I can harvest after the rains stop in the few days to dehydrate a batch too.

With some freed up room with freezer shuffling I decided to try a couple freezer things. The raw scrambled egg in the silicone ice cube tray thing. And freezing some diced strawberries in the raw. I have one of those weird as seen on TV baking things as a present a while back and trying it out. It's supposed to make a great pan full of individual browine squares (fail), or maybe meatloaf squares? But seeing if it makes nice squares of frozen strawberries in a nice portion to dole out for oatmeal or such.

Aw, beesneeds, you reminded me I've some silicone trays for rounds, I'll have to look for that. Our onions in the yard are ramps. Too strong for DHs breath and my sleep!