I’ve been contemplating a small freezer for that reason. One that I can pack as full as possible out of my main freezer, cover it with blankets (except for the motor and coils), and put power to it for only two hours a day or so.
But I’m not sure what’s available, guess I should start checking.
I just recently got one when a relative was going into a nursing home, it is a midsized chest freezer and I have it completely full. Mostly with green and red chile but I have a few other veggies.
I have an upright full of meat and I could easily jerk it if there was a power problem. My 3rd freezer has the rest of the stuff, a lot of cheese and hot dogs and convenience foods. You could dry most of the veggies if you needed to also.
My grandson has about 20 chickens but it wouldn’t hurt to have a couple of goats for milk and meat and a few rabbits. I’m thinking small because I live in the desert and the isn’t a lot of grazing if the rains don’t come.
You can minimize electricity usage in freezers by keeping them full. If you have an empty shelf, use plastic containers or plastic bags and freeze water. The ice will take up airspace and help maintain the cold temp. The ideal empty shelf for ice storage is the bottom one.