Ode to Vera and Tomatoes

A couple of years ago my partner Lisa's grandma, Elvira, showed us her method of preparing a batch of passata/tomato sauce to last throughout most of the year. I thought i'd share this with you, my fellow 'sporkers, as it was an inspirational experience and having plenty of prepared passata to hand is truly convenient and the results delicious.

Elvira is quite an amazing woman. Born in southern Italy, she moved to Wells, Somerset just after the WWII when her husband decided he wanted to stay in the area after being interred in a POW camp in the city. Many others did the same and the place is like a Goodfellas outtake at times (without the violence, of course). Despite having lived in England for most of her life, her Italian accent is still impenetrable at times. She is typically Italian working class and like many typical working class Italian ladies of a certain age, life revolves around food and it's preparation.
Almost in her '90s, she still has the energy to tend a large vegetable garden (beans, sprouting brocolli, rocket, fennel, lettuce, courgettes, carrots, herbs etc), a greenhouse (tomatoes, peppers, basil) and also to make things like her own salami, sauces and pickles. On occasional Sundays when most of the family comes over for lunch, she will either create a huge lasagne (often featuring double figures of mozzarella balls), a mountain of meatballs, an avalanche of penne and pork chops or something similarly as vast. I'm in awe of her work rate and her desire to feed. Nothing makes her happier than a person consuming enough food almost to the point of collapse.

Anyway, enough waffle. Let's move to the main sauce event. You'll need a sieve machine (a bit like a meat mincer that clamps to a table) and i'm not sure if you can get them here but i'm sure, if not, they can be got online.

Buy/harvest a couple of crates of tomatoes (Italian tomatoes if poss. but any smallish ones if not). This will make 30 to 40 medium sized jars.
Put jars in boiling water to sterilise. Boil for an hour and a half. Leave in water overnight to cool.

Put tomatoes in boiling water for a short time to soften slightly and to let skins come off easily in the mincer. Take out, leave to drain.
Put tomatoes through the mincer (put waste and skins through again). Add salt.
Put a bunch of basil into each of the jars, then add the passata. Tightly screw on jar lids.

Then the jars need to be bain-maried. Put jars in large saucepans, upright or on their sides, padding them with tea towells/cloths to stop them rattling around. Cover completely with water. Put saucepan lid on and bring water to the boil and continue to boil for at least 1/2 an hour.
Switch off heat and leave to cool. Take out when cool and store, ready for use, in a cupboard or garage.
Enjoy!