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Preserved Damsons

A method of preserving damsons by boiling with sugar to make a sweet preserve.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Preserved Damsons

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the fruit

  1. Cut the damsons open lengthwise and remove the stones.

  2. Place the damsons in a pan and cover with water.

  3. Boil the damsons for 10 minutes.

  4. Pour the damsons into a sieve and wipe them separately.

  5. Strew half of the sifted sugar over the damsons on large dishes.

Make the syrup

  1. Add the remaining sugar to the boiling liquid.

  2. Let the liquid boil up and skim the liquid.

  3. Simmer for 10 minutes.

  4. Add the damsons back to the liquid and boil well.

  5. Remove from heat and let it stand, covered, for 20 minutes.

  6. Simmer again for 30 minutes.

  7. Let it stand until the next day.

Finish and pot

  1. Boil the mixture again until the damsons are tender.

  2. Place the damsons in a sieve.

  3. Boil the jelly by itself for 1 hour.

  4. Transfer the fruit to jars.

  5. Pour the hot jelly over the fruit.

  6. Once cooled, cover with brandy paper, melted mutton suet, and tie with bladder.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Damsons
Provide the fruit, whose pectin and acid set the preserve as it cooks.
Loaf sugar
Sweetens the fruit and, at this concentration, helps preserve it and set the jelly.

The step that matters

Boiling the syrup before the damsons go back in. Sugar must dissolve and the liquid must boil properly before the fruit is added, otherwise the sugar may crystallise and the fruit may cook unevenly. Resting the mixture between boils lets the fruit absorb syrup gradually and keeps the skins intact.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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