Damson Jam

If you are lucky enough to grow your own damsons here is the quickest and easiest way to make damson jam:

 Put half a pound in big jug.  Cook three minutes in microwave, stir in half a pound of caster sugar, stir until its all dissolved, put back in microwave for four minutes and its done.  Keep in plastic box or jar in fridge.


I had lunch at Park farm the other day and they had damsons for £1.49 a pound - rare as hen's teeth to find these days.  I bought two pounds, divided them into four and put three half pounds of damsons in just simple ziplock bags and then in the freezer.  I don't want a ton of jam just for the two of us so half a pound now and then when I fancy it works for me.... and it makes the damson season last longer.

half pound for the freezer

I followed the instructions I've just given you using a large pyrex jub and keeping an eye on it in case it boiled over - it didn't.

damson jam in a box

I didn't cut the fruit off the stone, it all goes in together.  My mom used to say if you complained about the stones that if you'd found too many then you must be eating too much of the jam!  We just fish them out as we go along - but do be careful when eating it they can hide inside a skin.  You can spend a jolly ten minutes fiddling them out at the finished cooking stage if you want to - but not when its at full temperature - jam is exceedingly hot.

nothing beats a jam butty

I have a ton of damson jam uses - there's a particularly nice almond cake with damson jam threaded through it but to be honest not much beats a jam butty with homemade jam and freshly baked bread - this one is all ready for folding and eating.

I haven't added the recipe to the links at the top of the blog as I already have microwave jam instructions up there and the plum recipe will cover damsons perfectly well.

I thought the recipe given here was over-sweet for my taste so I will go back to my original instructions (see Microwave jam in the recipe tabs at the top) as that has less sugar and added lemon juice.  Each to their own.