This is the way our friend Maria puts up tomatoes every year. To prove her method is infallible, she brought us bottles labeled as far back as 1972. Bottles over ten years old were still good. To store this sauce she uses any small bottles and sterilizes them. Only top-quality, ripe tomatoes should be used for this recipe.
Plum tomatoes are the best.
1 T coarse salt 1 cup fresh basil leaves, plus additional leaves for the bottles Wash and dry the tomatoes, then slice in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and juice, reserving them for use in soups, stews, etc. Place the tomatoes in a large stockpot. Add the coarse salt and the cup of fresh basil leaves. Bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.