Central California here. Raley's (Nob Hill and Bel Air in other cities) - full service regional chain with high quality meats and produce with a nod to organics and health foods. The prices are fair but not cheap. Safeway - close to me but I don't shop there often. I will drop in if it's the easiest store in my path and I need a few things. Prices tend to be high for general shopping. They do carry a few things I haven't seen other places. Walmart - they opened a small store close to me. I shop there some because of convenience. Selection overall is limited unless you want processed frozen foods and they have LOTS of that. I don't even walk down the frozen aisles. I rarely buy meat there. The prices aren't any better than anyplace else. O'Brien's - high end local small chain. If I want it and it's unusual I can usually find it there. They have an amazing cheese counter and a good wine department and meat counter. The best store is way out of my way for normal shopping and the one close to me lacks the cheese counter and specialties. Target - they now sell groceries and the store is a mere two blocks from the house so I do buy some things there. Most of the grocery stock is frozen and packaged goods, much like Walmart. The prices are quite reasonable. The meats I have purchased there have been good. I make an effort to buy some fresh produce so they will keep stocking it. It's a very basic selection. Trader Joe's - not close to me and not one of the bigger stores. They have things other places do not that I like to buy. It is also an 8 mile round trip by bicycle so I can shop and get in my daily bike ride as well. I am there once a week perhaps. Savemart - a local chain that has several stores around town and in nearby towns. I rarely shop there as none are in my neighborhood nor do they have anything I can't get elsewhere. Sunflower Market - a regional chain new to California. They are not a normal full service store and there are lots of things I can't get there. They focus on organic food and "natural" meats. So I can get wild caught fish there and meats that aren't injected with salt solution and organic produce. The prices are good and they are close to home. Produce is very nice. Greens - a newish and small gourmet store/deli with a nice selection of local specialities. Good cheeses. Not close, though. Food Maxx - a bag it yourself store I never use so I can't comment. Winco - another bag it yourself store. If I am stocking up this is a good place to do it. Produce selection is very good. Prices are the cheapest for doing a big general stock up shopping trip. Fresh & Easy - I have friends who like it but I have never been there. Costco - my first choice for meats. I have let my membership lapse as I now live alone. There are numerous outlet stores and dollar stores that sell groceries. Sometimes I will drop in. Selection is unpredictable and close to expiration date as a rule. Cost Plus - out of my way but a great source for gourmet packaged goods and wine. There are numerous small ethnic stores - Asian, Greek, Fijian, Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Eastern European and probably a few others I haven't seen. The Greek market is two blocks from me so I go there often. Lovely feta selection. And I really like the owner. He thinks my cannolis are great. And there are the stores that cater to restaurants but also sell to the public. I go in those now and then for certain things. I occasionally go to the farmer's market but I do it for a morning outing that includes live music and perhaps a pastry after a bike ride and maybe a chance to run into friends. The prices tend to be high but not always. I saw artichokes for 3 bucks a piece at the market. They were 99 cents at TJ's. But the beets were lovely and the greens (my favorite part) were crisp and fresh. Two bucks a bunch. A tiny bunch of organic chard was 3 bucks. I usually buy honey and raw almonds at the farmer's market when I need those things. Sciabica olive oil has a stand at one of the farmer's markets. No bargains, though. :) If I plan to do any canning, salsa and such, I will go to the farm stands out in the country. I have a favorite and I buy cases of whatever I want at a very good price. I think that about covers it for my town. I left out Kmart. I don't shop there ever. Eileen

Chest or upright freezer? After blanching are you flash freezing them on cookie sheets before bagging? Which type of Foodsaver bags - pint, quart, rolls that let you make your own? Long skinny bags made from the rolls will lay flat. Are you freezing in portion sizes or not? Dave

Ammonia? Nope! Just "fishy," and that's often why people don't like fish. Just soak that baby in salty ice water and cook it prior to dinner. It will taste and be fresh. @donna_in_sask DH just called from Costco asking the usual DH questions. I didn't tell him to buy fish, but it's a 3 hour drive home since it's rush hour. He went for a doctor appt, and I gave him the Costco list. He's bringing home those nice lamb chops they have, but no fish. Tonight is just homemade pasta sauce over angel hair, Caprese salad with real buffalo mozzarella and some garlic toast.

My Italian exchange student is very food particular. Only the best for him. Yesterday we went grocery shopping and to let them pick up some personal care items for themselves. He wanted instant mashed potatoes so I put the Walmart brand in my cart when he was away getting his own stuff. He came back and asked if we could get those potatoes and I said I already got them and pointed them out. He didn't want the ones I had gotten. He took them back to the instant potato isle and got Idahoan brand. Got them home and he was outraged and shocked that his potatoes had no inner lining. lol . He was wanting to pour them into a plastic bag which I have very few of (trying to not use them) and I told him he would have to leave them the way they were. First off, I think it's funny he likes instant mashed potatoes but doesn't like our cheeses here because they aren't as good, not aged enough, and not Italian. I was shocked that he likes my lasagna and spaghetti sauce. I made lasagna again yesterday and he ate 3 giant helpings. Most Americans turn their noses up at instant potatoes. I didn't tell him that but maybe I should have. I did tell him that those two boxes of potatoes could have been made at the same factory and just labeled different for the two companies but he didn't seem to care. I used to work at an onion dehydration plant that dehydrated onions and it wasn't the most sanitary thing in the world. I'm sure potatoes aren't much different. One year we did celery and you wouldn't believe the crap that got by us on the belt because there was so much stuff in it, slimy vegetation, slugs, some type of spidery looking bug, frogs, etc...one woman cut the tip of her finger off in the slicer area that year. Hopefully it was retrieved before it went to the hopper. My other student, from France, although not as particular bought a bunch of different higher end chocolate bars because he went to San Francisco with his father a year or two ago and they went to a Ghirardelli chocolate store there and loved their chocolate. I told him I liked Lindt better. He said Chirardelli was more expensive and therefore was better. LOL. We did a taste test of the first two last night and of course, Lidnt won. I do like Trader Joes and was wanting to go there after we went to Costco on Saturday but ran out of time so I did the rest of my shopping at Walmart. Most Costco items are too expensive or too big for my small freezer/fridge. I did stock up on Kleenex. I won't have to buy any for six months or more now. Now that I have these two boys eating me out of house and home, I also like Save A Lot more and have been going there quite often lately. Most basic items are so much less expensive.