Damson Jam

I love foraging for berries this time of year - blackberries for pies and crumbles, sloes sooth the winter blues with Sloe Gin, and damsons for tangy damson jam!

Damsons were introduced to Britain by the Romans but goodness knows what they did with them, they're so tart that only tons of refined sugar can tame them! Fortunately I love the sharp plummy flavour of damson jam, and it's very easy to make, particularly with a good jam or sugar thermometer. Damson jam is lovely on toast or hot crumpets - for carnivores it also goes well with rich game meats.

Use whatever quantity you can forage, it's actually easier to boil up smaller quantities of jam than large, particularly if you're a beginner. Make sure they're ripe, they should be juicy and slightly yielding, not too hard but not too soft. Make sure you wash the fruits thoroughly to remove bits of grit, bugs and stray leaves!

1. Weigh the damsons, and measure out an equal weight of white sugar.
2. Clean some jam jars thoroughly either in a dishwasher on a hot cycle, or with hot soapy water and dry them in a 150C oven for 10 minutes.
3. In a pan, add the damsons plus about a cupful of water, depending on quantity, and gently stew the damsons for 5-10 minutes until they're very soft.
4. When the fruits are cooked, place a sieve over a bowl and pour the damsons into the sieve. The fruit should be soft enough to push out the stones - a fiddly process but make sure you get them all, you don't want crunch in your jam!
5. Return the fruit and liquid to the pan, pour in the sugar and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. It should be liquid at this stage so add a splash more water if there's not enough for the sugar to dissolve.
6. Turn up the heat and boil til the mixture reaches the "setting point" of 105C, making sure to stir occasionally so the bottom doesn't burn.
7. When it hits 105C, remove from the heat. Leave to cool slightly, then pour into your prepared jars, close the lid and leave to cool.

Variations

Plums and almonds go wonderfully together, so try Damson and Amaretto Jam! When the jam is cooling in the pan, add a tablespoon or three of Amaretto liqueur. Or for a non-alcoholic version, a teaspoon of almond extract.