August 4 2013:

The vegetables are really kicking. We have now harvested 38 lbs of tomatoes. and are a long way from done – our last plant is still weeks away from beginning to fruit. We have harvested 17 lbs of zucchini; I am now a true fan of zucchini.

Today, we are making a basic tomato ‘stock’ in the slow cooker to use as a base for future sauces; it consists of: tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper. The smell is phenomenal. The picture below shows the stock during its first hour of cooking; the tomatoes will fall apart the longer you will cook them.  I will add the basil after the stock is removed from the heat and before freezing.

Below is a picture of a sample of our tomato harvest: