Ah yes, end of summer ceremonies include the tomato sauce making. This year my husband and I were on our own–the first I can remember not working with my in-laws (Sicilian immigrants and the originators of this family tradition)… and all the kids were conveniently out of town.
Without Nonna & Nonno to watch over us, we IMMEDIATELY cheated by not hand picking them… we have so few weekends available and it rained all week and the usual farm (Filasky’s in Maryland) was not allowing us out on the field. We purchased them at a store outlet for a farmer’s market and I’m REALLY okay with not picking in a muddy field.
We ended up with about 80 quarts all hot packed and slowly cooling in chests covered in blankets. It will last us until next August (depending upon needy children and friends who will *now* come out of the 
woodwork…).
I was introduced to this tradition over 25 years ago while dating my husband. His parents dutifully worked very hard to make sauce for themselves and enough for each of their sons who were on their own. Some years we helped more than others.
As our family grew, we all (with more workers each few years) helped out–we needed a lot! This year mom and dad will experience it all being done for them… we will be giving them their share. I guess now in their upper 80’s they deserve the break!
I guess we have officially become Nonna & Nonno. Tony barking orders at me… but I’m not Nonna… so he needs to keep it zipped or wear boiling hot stewed tomatoes. Plus at some point, I’m going to start drinking… hey, I have to add some ‘German-Irish’ to this tradition… I’m not Sicilian if you could tell by my red hair…
UPDATE: I’ve gotten a lot of requests for the recipe but it’s not what you think–we don’t add all the seasonings before we hot pack them– just tomatoes, basil leaves and salt.
Here is the entire process… We use ripe plum tomatoes (usually 4 bushels at a time) and put them in a small baby pool full of water and wash them by hand (in our garage). We put them in a strainer and cut each one in half and scoop out the water, seeds and excess pulp (which in plum tomatoes, there isn’t a lot of waste).
We stew them with fresh basil leaves (we do grow a lot of that). Cut the basil just before you use it you will pick off only leaves, no stems. The basil must be cleaned off of dirt (or yeah, bugs, LOL!) but you can’t leave the basil soaking in water too long or it gets black, so someone picks off the leaves while others are cutting tomatoes and they don’t sit long before going in.
I don’t have a ratio of basil and salt to tomatoes– we just do it by ‘eye’ (anyone who has ever cooked with an Italian mom knows this phenomenon). After stewing them until it breaks down, we run the tomatoes through a sieve (we use this one), which separates out the skin and any remaining seeds. If you think that the sieve is expensive, lets just say this family takes tomato sauce seriously (say, like my family took distilling bathtub gin in the 20’s). Anyway, they sell less expensive ones and of course hand-crank ones (been there, done that… just go for electric).
Then we boil the strained tomatoes again for about an hour and then hot pack them just like that. When you go to use the sauce, you will want to add olive oil, some minced fresh garlic, salt, paper and a bit of oregano. How much? Ask Nonna, she’ll say ‘don’t ask how much, just watch! Pay attention!’
Looks wonderful! And looks like a lot of work, too. 🙂
Oh yeah, you know it!
Hey Nonno & Nonna,
That is what my Mom and Dad were called. By the way my Father was born in Italy, and he had real red hair like you Amy. Your both doing a wonderful job of making the Tomato sauce. Looks so yummy.
Amy! this is amazing. I am NOT envious of the process, but I am of the outcome! Thanks for sharing this experience!
Thanks Ruth! See you at Founders?
Amy,
I love your site. Any chance you will publish this family recipe? I have fresh basil this year and would love to make some sauce. My girls get mad at me when I “doctor up” store bought instead of making it from scratch!
Hi Suzanne, I’ve just updated the article with the recipe and the entire process.
And you can start with canned stewed tomatoes or whole plum peeled. I know in past years when we’ve run out before end of summer, my mother in law used Cento (only that brand, LOL!) to start out with when we couldn’t get fresh). Everything else the same (fresh basil, salt and processing) and it tasted wonderful!
Amy,
That is too funny that I am reading your post today. I just made my own tomato sauce very similar to the way you describe. My parents are both from Sicily and have very fond memories of making this sauce as a child. Up until this year I have made the sauce with both my sister and Mother. But this year I am on my own. LOVE TRADITIONS!!!
I know you will enjoy the sauce for the upcoming year as I will.
Love your blog!
Mary Sue
It’s more fun in a big group, but I have fond memories of the kids picking them in the fields and then getting to pick out candy while we paid for them and the washing and cutting (and them disappearing…). Oh well, they’ll be back again!
Ok…all you Amy blog readers, I cannot remain silent any longer. Do not fall for this web of enticement she is feeding you. Her next ploy is to invite you to speak at her downline meeting conveniently scheduled for the same weekend as “sauce” weekend. Then, you’d look like a pansy dweeb if you don’t participate as a pickin’, washin’, cuttin’ and cookin’ slave! With no pay and no sauce! And, to add insult to injury, she’ll think you’re foolish enough to fall for it again a few years later! I ain’t fallin’ for that Celona!
Hi Amy,
Ah !!Tomatoe sauce,my favorite recipe for years now.
It’s funny(I was laughing reading this),I am not Italian (only French),but may because I am latin too ,I am doing like the “nonna” :by “the eye” and also by testing regularly all along the cooking.
It’s only 5am here in Paris now but reading your recipe makes me want to eat a big “pastachutta”with a lot of fresh tomatoe sauce on top.
Thank you so much for sharing.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Thanks so much for sharing. What great memories!
I too am married to a Sicilian. My FIL married a 100% german gal who is still (at 86 yrs) a full red-head! Their family tradition was making Italian sausage for Christmas. My husband decided to surprise the family a few years ago by making them all sausage (since FIL stopped several years back). Now “we” are in charge of making the sausage for the family. Thank goodness it is a small family 🙂
That sounds fabulous! Tony’s mom and dad make great sausage–I got Tony the attachment for our KitchenAid to make sausages, but he hasn’t done it yet.
We make homemade ravioli at Christmas–Tony even makes the pasta by hand. We make it just after Thanksgiving and freeze it until Christmas. It is so good that I can’t eat store bought ravioli anymore!
Amy, I just did tomatoes today so I’d have something to do during the hurricane and I wish I had seen your blog first! Can you explain how you “stew” the tomatoes? Do you just clean them out and put in pot dry with basil or do you add some water to get it going? Any more info you could share would be greatly appreciated! I already told my husband I want the electric machine -I hand cranked a case of tomatoes today and, well, you can imagine how my arm feels tonight. Thanks so much! Oh, and by the way, I’m a huge fan of your blog! TFS!
The tomatoes are put on medium heat after cutting and gutting. As they heat up, they break down and create their own water. If they don’t (fast enough), you don’t want them to burn, so you can probably add a small amount of water. As they break down (depending on the type of tomato) they will create a lot of excess water. If there is a lot, we separate the excess out and I use it for soup base.
Thank you so much for your story. It brought back memories of growing up in the kitchen with my Italian Grandmother. Going to her house every weekend for Sunday dinner with her gravy, meatballs, pork bones, sausage and fresh italian bread. I grew up making from scratch Ravioli at the kitchen table with no fancy equipment. All by hand with rolling pin, knife, pastry cutter, a spoon and a fork. I also learned how to make home made bread and other baked items. No mixers, no bread machines, no pasta makers. Just put the dough on the table make a well and add the eggs. I too continue some of her holiday traditions with my family so she is still with us on the holidays.
I meat to say put the flour on the table and add the eggs to make a dough.
Amy can I ask you just one more question on your tomato canning process so I know for next year? After you strain the tomatoes and boil it for the hour, you put it in the jars., ok got it so far. This is my questions. Once jars are full do you boil the jars??? And do you store the jars right side up or on their lids? I’ve been told both ways and don’t necessarily trust the source! Thanknyou so much for the info!