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Dessert

Damsons, Preserved

A method for preserving whole damsons in sugar syrup.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Damsons, Preserved

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Gather damsons on a sunny day after 24 hours without rain.

  2. Sprinkle ½ pound of sugar evenly over the damsons in a jar.

Cook

  1. Place the jar in a vessel of cold water over medium heat.

  2. Simmer for 50 minutes after boiling until the damsons are soft.

  3. Allow the damsons to cool.

  4. Pour the juice into a preserving pan and boil for 15 minutes.

  5. Strain the juice over the fruit.

Store

  1. Seal the jar when cool and store in a dry, cool place.

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, flavour and natural pectin that helps the preserve set.
Loaf sugar
Sweetens the fruit and draws out its juice while helping the preserve set and keep.

The step that matters

Simmer until the damsons are soft. The fruit must soften fully so its cells break down and release juice and pectin. Pectin needs sugar, acid and heat to set the preserve. Stopping too early leaves the fruit firm and the set weak, while overcooking can make the preserve dull and sticky.

“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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