Place carrots, onions, celery, garlic and tomatoes in large roasting pan. Toss the vegetables in olive oil, and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are a dark brown color.
Remove vegetables from the oven, then pour 2 cups of water into the pan and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom and sides.
Pour vegetables, the water and scraped up bits, and the remaining 4 cups of water, bay leaves, peppercorns, and thyme into a stock pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover and cook for 30 minutes.
Season with salt, if using.
Strain the stock into a large bowl. Discard the cooked vegetables etc.
It's ready to use! Or, you can cool it off and refrigerate or freeze in 1 cup portions.
Notes
Use any veggie scraps that you have. Including carrot peels, onion skins, garlic, celery, anything!Any herbs or none at all are just fine. You can use fresh or dried, whatever you have will work perfectly!How to store Vegetable StockStore in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.Freezing instructionsLadle into freezer safe containers, leaving room for expansion, seal, label and freeze. This will be good in the freezer for up to 6 months.You can also portion into a freezer bag and freeze flat for easy storage.