Savory Crock- Pot Garden Stew - bacon

Method

• Place paper towel on a micro-wave safe dish.
• Lay 5 strips of uncooked bacon on top of paper towel.
• Cover bacon; cook in microwave on High setting for 5 to 5 1/2 minutes.
• Let cool 5 minutes.
• With kitchen shears or knife, cut cooked bacon strips into 1-inch pieces.
• Place cooked bacon, potatoes, chopped leek, barley, celery, herbes de Provence, salt, garlic, apple cider, and undrained canned tomatoes in crock pot.
• Then add enough water to reach the consistency of vegetable soup (about 3 1/2 to 5 cups should be sufficient).
• Stir to thoroughly blend all ingredients.
• Cook on Low setting for 6-8 hours total.
• Occasionally stir the stew to be sure everything cooks evenly.
• If a lot of the liquid is absorbed during the cooking process, just add additional water as needed (about 1/2 cup at a time) to maintain a soupy consistency.
• One hour before serving, add the sliced mushrooms and continue to cook another hour (on Low setting), or until mushrooms are tender and cooked through.
• Serve hot.