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Dessert

Damson Jam

A jam made from damsons, sugar, and damson juice, boiled until thick.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Damson Jam

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Split the ripe damsons and place them in a pan.

  2. Boil the damsons for 30 to 40 minutes until tender.

  3. Add the sugar and continue boiling for about 1 hour to 1.5 hours.

  4. For a superior jam, remove the stones before boiling.

  5. For a smoother jam, pass the pulp through a coarse sieve after boiling.

  6. Add the juice of additional damsons and simmer a little longer before finishing the boiling.

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, pectin and tartness that give the jam its body and flavour.
Sugar
Adds sweetness and, with boiling, helps the jam thicken and keep well.
Damson juice
Adds extra fruit liquid and acidity to help the jam set.

The step that matters

Finishing the boil after adding the sugar. Sugar must dissolve fully before the boil is sustained, and the jam must reach a hot, concentrated state to set. Undercooking leaves it runny, while overcooking can darken and scorch the fruit.

“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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