For those who don't know a quintale is exactly 100 kilogrammes. Here at the Agriturismo Contrada Durano this August when we were'nt busy with guests or whilst they were out our little "factory" started up pulping, boiling, bottling and sterilizing the basis of food in Italy passata di pomodoro. By the end of August we had already "processed" 500 kilos only to see that they keep on coming, we have to say it's been a good year for tomatoes here. The sterilized jars are rested for a day or two under blankets until they slowly cool down.This ensures that the vacuum seal on the lids is in place and avoids bottles or jars that can even explode if moved around while still warm. Once cold they are labelled and put into the cool darkness of the cantina. Then all through the year they are used as the basis for a multitude of different sauces ( sughi). There's nothing quite like opening a jar of passata di pomodoro in say January and capturing the wonderful smell of fresh tomatoes and basil ( we put a couple of sprigs in every jar). Of course similar tasks making jams were also being carried out contemporaneously so work was not lacking. Whilst it is very simple to make passata people still ask a lot of questions, so we thought we'd say at least how we do it (of course we'll ignore the variations of which there are many). Ensure that you have a sufficient number of suitable 1 kilo jars or 1 litre bottles ( these can be crown capped) in the case of jars the right number of lids (use ONLY new lids) a few smaller jars are useful for remenants. Make sure you have a number of large aluminium saucepans, an ample supply of fresh basil, and several kilos of fine table salt . (make sure you have enough gas for the cooker!). Wash and cut the tomatoes more or less in quarters ( throw away all bad, unripe bits etc). Fill one or more of the large saucepans with the washed and cut tomatoes and leave to boil very slowly for around 2 - 2.5 hours. Adding around 6-7 dessert spoons of salt for every 10 kilos of tomatoes (this can vary with personal taste) In the meantime clean and boil all the jars and lids to be used and dry them well afterwards. When the tomatoes have been "cooked" put them through a vegetable mill ( there are manual and electric versions ) one will fill a number of small saucepans gradually transferring the passata to one of the big saucepans where it should be brought to the boil and left boiling. The boiling passata should then be poured into the clean dry jars in which 2-3 leaves of fresh basil have already been placed, the lid should be put on immediately, clean the jar of any mess on the outside, place the jars in a crate and cover with a blanket or similar for at least 24 hours. Check after they have cooled down that the vacuum seal on the lid has formed (it should look rather concave rather than convex) if everything has gone well they can be stored in a cool dark place away from heat and light and last easily even up to 2 - 3 years. Try to involve family, friends or anyone else as it's a lot of work though definitely worth it. Alternatively you can dine, eating the home made sauces directly at the Agriturismo Contrada Durano in Smerillo - Marche. www.contradadurano.it