I had a bunch of tomatoes from my garden languishing on the counter for days.  I figured they were ready pass on to a better place and I had to move fast.  Here’s an almost effortless way to use up your bumper crop of tomatoes while you nap in front of the television.

This is a brilliant way to treat those oddwod tomatoes that are too small to peel and you have way more than you can eat. Just pull out your crock and start dumping. I can’t call this a recipe because it’s not.

Homemade tomato sauce in crockpot

Chop up however many tomatoes you can’t possibly eat and throw them in the slow cooker.  (If you have an aversion to peels like I do, you can drop them into boiling water for 15 seconds, then plunge into cold water and the skins slip right off.)

Dice up some celery, onions, bell pepper and garlic and drop them on top of tomatoes.  I like lots of garlic because I think I have vampires living in my attic.  Add a little salt, pepper, chopped basil and grated parmesan cheese.  Cook on low for about three hours.  If you’re really lazy, don’t bother with the extra vegetables, you can always add them this winter

Pour the stuff into a blender and puree.  Put back in crock pot and cook a couple of more hours.  Freeze in zip lock bags, date and toss in freezer.

When the temperatures cool down and your fresh tomatoes are only a memory (oh please make it soon), you can thaw out a bag and add meat for chili or spaghetti, or use the tomatoes in soups.