damson Jam

4lbs (1.8kg) damsons

Quarter pint (145ml) of water (you do need to add water if fruit is frozen, or partially frozen)

4lbs (1.8kg) sugar

Juice of one lemon (not in this recipe, I added this in myself)

1. Wash and wipe the damsons.  Pick over to remove stalks
2. Put into a pan with the water (I actually didn’t put the water in at this stage as I wanted to see how much juice the damsons generated first) and simmer gently until the fruit is soft, occasionally pressing the damsons against the sides of the pan to break open and release the stones. Alternatively de-stone the fruit prior to adding to the pan
3. Remove the stones (I would suggest you let the damsons cool down first)
4. It now says on the recipe to test for pectin.  I admit missing this stage out and added the juice of one lemon when I added the sugar
5. Add the sugar, stirring until dissolved.  DO NOT BOIL. This should take around 5 minutes
6. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for about 10 minutes (I timed it and it was 10 minutes) until the jam sets when tested. Be careful as the fruit will bubble furiously.
7. Remove the remainder of the stones as they rise to the surface
8. Remove the scum with a spoon, add a knob of butter after taking the pan off the heat
9. Leave the jam to cool for around 10 minutes, this way you avoid the fruit settling at the bottom of the jar
10. Pot and seal into sterilised jars while still warm

Makes around 6lbs (2.7kg) of jam