Ingredient

Damson

A damson is a small, dark, oval plum with a heavy blue bloom, and raw it is sharp and mouth-drying enough that few people eat a second one. Cooked with sugar it produces a depth of flavour that no dessert plum comes close to, which is why damsons remain in British hedgerows and orchards despite being useless to eat off the tree.

Astringency as an asset

Damsons are high in acid and in tannins. Raw, that combination reads as harsh. With sugar and heat, the acid balances the sweetness and the tannin gives the finished preserve a structure and length that a sweeter plum simply does not have — the same reason a tannic grape makes better wine than a table grape.

The colour is part of it too. Damson flesh is yellow-green but the skins are so heavily pigmented that anything cooked with them turns a deep, almost black purple.

They are also very high in pectin, which means damson jam sets easily and damson cheese — a solid, sliceable fruit paste — is straightforward.

Dealing with the stones

Damsons are clingstone and the stones do not come out easily. Do not try.

1. Wash the fruit and pick out leaves and stalks. There is no need to halve or stone anything.
2. Cook the whole fruit gently with a little water until it collapses.
3. The stones float free as the flesh breaks down. Skim them off with a slotted spoon as they rise.
4. Keep going for a few minutes after you think you have them all — there are always more.
5. Count them if you are making something where a stray stone matters. A rough count from the weight of fruit is a reasonable check.

What to make

• Damson jam. The classic. Sets with no help at all, and has more character than any other plum jam.
• Damson gin, made exactly like sloe gin — prick the fruit, cover with sugar and gin, and forget about it for three months. Better than sloe gin, and easier.
• Damson cheese, a dense sieved fruit paste set in a mould and turned out, traditionally served with cold meat or hard cheese. Very old-fashioned and very good.
• Damson crumble, which needs more sugar than you think and benefits from being stoned first if you are feeding people who will not check.
• A sharp sauce for game, duck or pork, cooked down with a little vinegar.
• Damson ice cream, where the acidity keeps it from being heavy.
• Frozen whole, which is the easiest response to a glut and does not affect the finished jam at all.

Buying, picking and keeping

Season

Late August into September in Britain. Short.

Ripeness

Deep purple-black with an intact powdery bloom. Slightly soft to the touch. Green or red damsons are not ready.

The bloom

A natural waxy coating and a sign of unhandled fruit. It rubs off and its absence is not a fault.

Bullaces

A close relative, rounder and often greener or yellower, used the same way. Frequently sold as damsons.

Freezing

Whole, unwashed, in bags. They keep a year and cook down identically.

Common questions