Damson Jam is beautifully tart and has a wonderful unique flavour. Perfect for using up your windfalls!
Today I’m re-posting my Damson Jam which was published in 2013 when I didn’t own or know how to use a professional camera. This recipe has been one of my most popular jams ever since so it was high time I did a re-shoot and gave it the presentation it deserved! I hope you approve.
I have a confession to make, in the 40 years that my parents have lived in their current house I have never taken any notice of their Damson tree.
When I was growing up we had a Victoria plum tree and a huge pear tree which dominated the garden but the Damson tree just minded its own business in one of the borders.
The Victoria plum tree and the pear tree have long since languished but the Damson tree has soldiered on.
So it took my new love of jam making for me to actually look forward to the harvest of Damsons that I’ve half-heartedly accepted bags of in the past. Yes shocking I know!
As with all my jams I like to have a good old research of my topic and find the best and most efficient way to make my next jam. It became apparent that this wasn’t a simple jam to make like all the other ones I’d made.
With Damsons you have the sticky issue of the stone to contend with. Hence there were recipes where you either laboriously cut them out at the beginning or you have to wade through hot jam at the end to remove them.
Kirstie Allsopp even suggested counting the plums so that you could be sure to have removed all the stones! Then there were useful tips I found like agitating the plums once cooked with a whisk to help loosen the stones before fishing out.
Another tip I found which would have worked if my plums had all been really ripe, was to remove the stone by gripping the opposite ends of the Damson and squeezing thus releasing the stone. Sadly this only worked on a few of my plums and most of them were not ripe enough for this method.
I came up with what I thought was a stroke of genius! I used my Oxo Goodgrips Cherry/Olive pitter as it is so sturdy and proved perfect for the job.
I decided I didn’t fancy fishing for stones at the end of the jam making process with rubber gloves and I’m really glad I opted to remove them beforehand.
If I hadn’t I wouldn’t have known about the 3 rotten plums that had looked fine from the outside but were totally brown on the inside which would have spoiled the jam.
The only problem with pitting the Damsons beforehand is that there is a certain amount of plum still stuck to the stone, which would also happen when using a knife or the squeeze technique.
Not wanting to waste any flesh I decided to simmer my stones in a small amount of water.
Then I popped them in a sieve which seemed to be the best of both worlds. The liquor was then put back into the pan with the simmered Damsons before adding the sugar.
As Damsons are so delightfully full of pectin there was no need to add any other fruit or lemon juice to this recipe, they are the perfect fruit to make jam or jelly with.
I had never eaten Damson jam before and it has a unique sharp edge to it which I have enjoyed especially at breakfast time.
This recipe made 8 jars of varying sizes, I did however measure the volume, which was about 2.1 litres.
For more plum jam recipe inspiration you might like:
I love chatting jam, so if you have any questions or want to tell me how you got on then do fire away in the comment section below!
I’m sure you’ll love my Damson Jam recipe so do leave a comment and rating below when you make it. Plus if you’re on social media tag @FabFood4All as I love seeing my recipes come to life.
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Damson Jam
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg Damsons (stoned after weighing)
- 1.875 kg Granulated Sugar
- 450 ml Water + 20 ml to simmer with damson stones
Instructions
- Cook the damsons in a preserving pan with the water gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- At the same time cook the stones in a separate medium sized pan with 20 mls of water for 20 minutes.
- When the stones have cooked put them in a sieve and squeeze with the back of a wooden spoon for a couple of minutes. (There will be clear liquid and a little puree, no need to squeeze until dry).
- Add this liquor to the cooked Damsons and then add the sugar.
- Heat slowly until all the sugar has dissolved stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Bring to the boil slowly and then time a rolling boil for 13 minutes (make sure you stir with a wooden spoon regularly to stop it catching and burning).
- Take off the heat and test a teaspoon of jam on a cold plate, leave for a couple of minutes and if it crinkles when your finger is pushed through it it’s ready.
- If not boil for 2 more minutes at a time repeating the test.
- Once ready pot up into sterilised jars and put on a clean lid. Makes 2.1 ltrs or 8 jars of varied sizes.
Notes
Sterilise jars by washing or dishwashing, filling with boiling water, emptying and then placing in oven for 20 minutes at 140°C then leave in oven until jam is ready. Wash the lids, sterilise with boiling water and then leave to drain.
Clare Webb
Looks wonderful!
Jacqueline
It looks gorgeous Camilla. I’ve never tried damson jam before, so I can’t quite capture the flavour in my mind.
Camilla
Thanks Jac, I hadn’t had it before either, it’s kind of sweet and tart at the same time:-)
Jayne T
I remember having a big Damson tree near us when I was a kid, I used to pick them and sell them to the local farm shop. Your recipe is a great way to use up all those damsons, I just need to find a damson tree.
Camilla
Well that was initiative:-) I do hope you find another damson tree!
DANIELLE VEDMORE
All these Jam posts are making me want to overcome my jam-o-phobia! They always look delicious and you make it seem so easy to do!
Camilla
Thank so much, but it is really easy and practise makes perfect:-)
Laura@howtocookgoodfood
Oh this does sound perfect as I have access to many damsons down at the allotment. Will certainly use your recipe when I get round to making some jam, looks great!
Camilla
Thanks Laura and do let me know how you get on:-)
Anneli (Delicieux)
Lovely jam, lovely story too. That poor Damson tree, ignored for so long and now have a come back with this fab jam! What a happy feeling to put these lovely little plums to such good use. Your jam looks great and great tips on getting the stones out. Thanks for entering this into Four Seasons Food! xx
Camilla
Thank you Anneli. Yes the poor Damson Tree has been ignored and could do with a good pruning as she is somewhat wirey and over-grown, which is why I had to stand on the top of a step ladder to reach some of the plums with a fishing net but then found shaking the branches worked better:-)
Javelin Warrior
I never realized how small damson plums are! If they’re tiny enough to be pitted by a cherry pitter, then they really are tiny… I love the color of the jam – such a vibrant ruby-red… Just lovely, Camilla!
Camilla
Thanks Mark, yes they are just a thin layer of plum around a small stone, I think they need a re-design really:-)
Elizabeth
Sounds intriguing! I’ve never tried a damson fruit before (I have honestly never even heard of them before this!) What a lovely coloured jam though. Thanks for sharing with the Credit Crunch Munch!
Camilla
Thanks:-) They are just tiny plums Elizabeth, amazed you’ve not heard of them before but maybe they don’t grow on Shetland.
Elizabeth
Hardly anything grows on Shetland, to be honest, unless it’s protected in a polytunnel!
Camilla
Aah, Elizabeth sounds like you need a giant polytunnel for trees then!
Adam
I shouldn’t worry, I’ve never even managed to try damsons yet, I can’t find them anywhere! I find it weird that In my local supermarket I can buy fresh tumeric, but not something like damsons. I have yet to see them at Leicester market either. Maybe I’ll find them one day haha. When I do the first thing I’ll be doing is making jam, I hear it goes lovely with game and rich fatty meats like lamb.
Camilla
As they are such a pain to extract the flesh from I imagine they are not popular and therefore not grown commercially. I think you’ll just have to buy yourself a tree if you want Damsons:-)
Janice
Fantastic! I love Damson jam and have always just left the stones in and fished them out as we ate the jam! That was how my gran made it anyway. We had neighbours that had two trees and used to give us loads, but they moved and the people who moved in cut down the trees.
Camilla
Thanks Janice. Yes leaving the stones in the jam would be the easiest solution but I’d worry that somone would crack a tooth open and it would probably be me. Shame on your neighbours for chopping their trees down, what a shame:-(